Her Erik, His Christine
by MidnightShadow101
Summary: Sequel to Her Romeo, His Juliet. "I know you want us to have a happy ending, Katarina." "Oh? How do you know that?" "Good girls always want a happy ending." "True." Her fingers ghost over his cheek. "But sometimes, the bad guy wants a happy ending too." Post-Thor and during Avengers.
1. And now I can never let him go

**A/N: Well, here's the sequel to "Her Romeo, His Juliet!" I hope you enjoy it!**

**If you haven't read the first story, I highly recommend that you do, as that would explain a lot.**

**3rd POV**

_It was dark outside when Katarina decided to leave the party. She needed some quiet._

_As soon as she left she knew she had made the right choice. The air inside the hall had been hot and stifling, but now a cool breeze rippled across her face. The princess exhaled in relief, glad to get away from Thor and any other alcohol intoxicated male. _

_She started to walk the streets of Asgard, just enjoying the peace when she felt arms go around her waist and someone bury their face into her back. She stopped._

_She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "Loki?"_

_"The one and only." He murmured. "Why did you leave?"_

_She tried not to shiver. "It was too loud."_

_"You could have at least told me." He said in a low voice, tone dangerously close to whining._

_"I had to get away from Thor." She attempted to make her voice as level as possible and tried not to focus on his breath against the back on her neck._

_"Mm." He absently ran a finger up her arm, and she couldn't suppress a shudder. She could practically hear him smirking behind her._

_More because the thought of his smirk irritated her than anything else, she asked, "Are you drunk?"_

_The prince withdrew his hand and seemed offended by her question. "My alcohol consumption rate has no effect whatsoever-"_

_"Okay, if you can talk like that, you're not drunk." Katarina looked around her nervously. There were a few people in the street, but most were either too interested in each other or too drunk to notice them. "There are people watching, you know."_

_"Do I look like I care?" _

_The princess tried to make herself sound as annoyed as possible and scowled. "Well, __I wouldn't_ know_, now, would I? You being behind me and all..."_

_He laughed quietly and turned her around in his arms so that she was facing him. They were centimeters apart. He locked his fingers behind her back._

_She tried to make her breathing normal, tried to slow down her heart rate. _

_"Do I look like I care?" He repeated, smirking again._

_"Mm." She automatically draped her arms around his neck, finding that suddenly she didn't really care either. "Not really." She admitted. He smiled in victory, leaning down-_

-it wasn't real. Katarina bolted upright, disoriented, wondering where she was.

It was dark, and as her eyes adjusted to the shadows, she realized that she was in her room, in Asgard, and it was the middle of the night.

She gritted her teeth in frustration and fisted her sheets in her hands so hard that her knuckles turned white, lips still tingling in anticipation. It made her so _angry _that these dreams kept coming back, allowing her little moments of bliss, but they always, always, _always_ went away and left her more desolate than she was before.

It made her want to throw something.

Katarina sighed and headed wearily to the desk in the middle of the room. She wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon, so she might as well get some studying done.

vVvVvVvVv

Alienora woke up to the sound of a pen scratching across the surface of a piece of paper. Yawning, blinking blearily, she looked up to see Katarina sitting at the desk and writing.

She groaned. "Kat, what are you doing...?"

"Writing." The other girl didn't even take her eyes off the paper.

Alienora looked at the clock on the wall. "It's, like, five."

"Mm-hm.."

"Kat."

"Mm?"

"Go back to sleep."

"I can't."

"Why _not_?"

Katarina looked up, and this time she looked tired. "I seriously _can't_, Ali. I can't sleep. Dreams are keeping me up."

vVvVvVvVv

Heimdall heard footsteps behind him and he knew who it was. He didn't even bother to turn around to affirm his guess. "Lady Katarina."

"Lord Heimdall." The girl took a seat on the edge of the rainbow bridge, feet dangling over the edge.

The Gatekeeper eyed her warily. He had not forgotten what Odin had told him; that she had almost thrown herself off the side when the Prince had fallen. But the girl seemed relatively calm.

The sharp shards of the bridge dug into her legs, threatening to draw blood, but she didn't notice or didn't care. "Anything?"

Heimdall shook his head. "Nothing."

She nodded, but he still saw the disappointment in her eyes. It was curious. She got the same answer every day but still managed to be hopeful every time she asked.

"Why do you still hope?"

"Because I know he is not dead. If he was dead, you would see him in Valhalla."

"If he was alive and cared at all for you, then he would look for you." Heimdall pointed out dryly.

"Not if he thought that no one was looking for him." She replied. Heimdall gave her one of his rare smiles.

"He could live a hundred lifetimes and not deserve you."

"Yeah, that's what people keep telling me." Katarina got up and started to walk away. "Goodbye, Heimdall."

"Goodbye, my lady."

The Gatekeeper knew she would be back tomorrow.

vVvVvVvVv

Katarina sat at the piano in the empty ballroom with its high ceiling and polished floor. Her pale fingers hovered hesitantly over the black and white keys.

_You shouldn't do this. _Her reason reminded her. _Every single time you do this, you end up hurting again. _

_At least this hurting is better than the absence. _The princess felt that pain settle like a freezing diamond in her throat. _That cold absence._

And then all at once she started to play, her hands dancing over the keys, coaxing a soft melody from the piano that echoed throughout the abandoned room.

A familiar melody. The song they first danced to.

After a while she ceased, straining every fiber of her being, eyes squeezed shut, trying to go to that place that they went to, that place that existed only between the two of them, in the moments of silence when a song ended and just before the next began, or in the brief pause between the notes of a tune.

But all that she heard was the blank buzzing.

_Now _the pain came, cutting through the foggy blankness like a knife through butter, cutting her deeper than she thought she could ever be cut.

Tears stinging in her eyes, she got up and left the ballroom.

vVvVvVvVv

She found it in a pile of old guard reports.

She burst into Nikolai's room, where he was reading a book. He looked up, surprised. "Katarina...?"

"I finally found it!" She said triumphantly, grinning. In her hand she held a piece of parchment, rough around the edges and yellowed.

It was the first time he had seen that smile in forever. "Found what?"

"Someone that can help me with this." She brandished the sheet.

"And who would that be...?" Nikolai closed his book and got out of his chair, looking curiously over her shoulder to see what she held.

"Okay, listen. About five years ago, there was a report of some damage along the Illith River." Katarina pulled out a map and pointed to said river. "A distress message. They said that they needed help, that they were under attack. That's all the message said. Anyway, when the warriors got there, they found the entire village destroyed. An _entire village. _Just... gone. No survivors, except for one." The princess pulled out another piece of paper, this one a picture of a sallow man with dark, hooded eyes. "He was half-mad when they found him. Totally out of his mind. All that he would say was, "The darkness took her, and she destroyed everything." He died soon after they found him."

Nikolai sincerely hoped that his little sister wasn't saying what he thought she was saying. "So, you want to go there?"

"Yes."

"That's crazy. You want to go to a pre-determined cursed village that was destroyed by someone possessed with dark magic. Katarina, that place is branded with death. If what the man said was true, then a hundred people were slaughtered on the banks of that river."

"I have to go, Nikolai. It's the only place that I've found so far with _some _mention of the darkness. I might be able to figure something out."

"What if you get hurt?"

"I won't."

"You can't know."

"If I get hurt, then oh well."

He gritted his teeth. "If you insist on being stubborn, then I'm going to go with you."

vVvVvVvVv

There was a chill in the air, a weird sort of chill that seemed to seep into her bones and spread throughout her entire being. Shivers crept up her spine, and Katarina resisted the urge to shudder. She felt like a snowman had walked up behind her and was breathing down on her neck.

Paranoia prompted her to turn around. She did. Nothing.

The village was in ruins, with curtains of fog sweeping the area. Sagging remains of a once-proud town, now a place to be avoided. The ground was soggy.

Katarina dropped from her horse, onto the ground, and heard Nikolai do the same behind her. She pulled out a map that she had found among the reports.

"The attack started... from that area." Katarina had no idea what she was looking for; she decided that she would know when she saw it.

"Kat, this is pointless." Nikolai hissed. He put a hand on her shoulder. "What do you expect to find?"

She shrugged him off. "I don't know. _Something _that will help my research."

"Why are you so obsessed?" He snapped.

"Nikolai, not now..."

"No, yes now." He spun her around, glaring at her with his hazel eyes. "Don't you understand? He's dead. He fell. You saw."

She avoided his gaze. "No."

His eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. "No? You cannot pretend you didn't see it, Katarina. You were there."

"No. He's not dead."

"Even if he isn't, surely you know that he is not the prince you love. He tried to _destroy _the Jotunheim, his own kin! He's a _Frost Giant, _Katarina! The monsters Lydia would tell us about at night! The monsters you were terrified of, that you whimpered about when you a child!"

"_He's not a monster!_" Katarina's scream made him stop. Her eyes were filled with anger and hurt. The sound echoed throughout the village. "He's not a monster." She repeated, quieter. "He has never been a monster, and he never will be." She turned away from him.

"You saw-"

"I _saw_? You want to know what I saw? I saw Loki as emotionally unstable as he has ever been in his entire life, took ahold of by a curse and weakened by a supposed betrayal of one who loved him, hanging off the edge of a bridge above oblivion. I saw him cry out to the Allfather, reaching out, seeking comfort and consolation from the man who's love and pride he wanted the most. And I saw that man reject him, turn him away; As good as throwing him off Asgard." She faced him again, bitterness heavy in her voice.

Nikolai instinctively looked over his shoulder, nervous. "Those words are treason, Katarina. Calm yourself."

"Maybe if he had fallen from the bridge in battle, I would believe you. Maybe if Thor killed him, I would believe that the one I loved was truly bad. But he _let go, _Nikolai. He embraced his punishment and fulfilled his sentence. He _let go. _And now I can never let him go."

Her brother found he had no reply, not having expected such candor from his usually more secretive sister. This was Katarina at her most honest, baring her soul to him, her innermost thoughts. It made him feel both flattered and sad.

She had already continued her search. Nikolai gave no more protest.

vVvVvVvVv

"It has been more than an hour, Katarina."

She didn't take her eyes off the map. "There's still the graves to examine."

"Do you honestly expect to find something there?"

She sighed. "Not really. But I cannot overlook something." She started towards the graveyard, and her brother followed, shaking his head but not saying anything.

Katarina ran her hand over a headstone, trying to read the faded words.

"'Cassiopeia Quintonsdottir.'" She said aloud.

"Her brother is over here." Nikolai murmured, examining another gray tomb. "Hawthorne."

The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of a stick being broken. Both siblings looked up warily. Katarina's hand strayed to her belt where she kept her knife, Nikolai's to his sword.

"Who's there?" He called out to the fog.

There was no reply.

Katarina took a cautious step towards where she thought she had heard it, but stopped when a figure came out of the mist.

A smaller figure, female, hunched over, wearing a dark cloak against the chill. Her face was shrouded in shadow from the hood.

Nikolai's blade sang as he drew it. "Announce yourself."

The figure's head jerked up, and both saw with surprise that it was a girl, probably younger than Katarina. She had wide green eyes.

She put her hands up slowly, the universal gesture for look-I'm-not-carrying-a-big-murderous-weapon. "Okay, okay. Calm down."

The princess's danger sense was tingling. "Who are you?" She asked, and was proud that her voice was steady. "And why are you here?"

The girl seemed amused by the question. "Who am I?" She repeated. "I am Krystal. And these-" She gestured around the graveyard with a slim hand. "-are my family."

**A/N: Well, we finally meet Krystal. Tell me what you think of the first chapter! Are Katarina's feelings of loss reasonable? Or do you think they're too dramatic?**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	2. One beautiful thing he held onto

**A/N: Hey, thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! Thank you so much! And good eye, to everyone who caught the Cass reference. :D I'm happy to have perceptive readers. **

**Enjoy the chapter! It's mostly a filler.**

**3rd POV**

"Krystal." Katarina echoed, examining the figure in front of her as she removed her hood. Dark brown hair cascaded down her back, and the younger girl tucked a few strands behind her ear.

"What do you mean, _these are your family_?" Nikolai stepped forward, standing protectively next to his sister. He hadn't removed his hand from the handle of his sword.

"I mean that they _were _my family." Krystal corrected herself, bending down to examine one of the headstones. A sad little smile flitted around her lips as she ran a hand over the faded and crumbling stone. "Obviously, they're dead now."

"But..." Katarina's head was spinning. She took a step forward, suddenly excited. "...if this is your family, then you were a villager from this place!" She gestured around herself at the ruins. "You're a survivor?"

Krystal nodded sadly. "Unfortunately." She stood back up.

"But how...? There weren't any survivors, except for that man, but he's dead..." Katarina trailed off, considering the possibilities.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Krystal asked curiously. She eyed their clothes. "Strange tourism location for nobles."

"Well, we're not touring." Nikolai loosened his grip on his sword but did not release it altogether. "We're searching for something."

Her green eyes darkened immediately, turning them a familiar shade of viridescence that made Katarina feel a little sad. _Loki's eyes looked like that..._

"What could you find in such a place?" Krystal gestured to the ruins around her, shaking her head. "There is nothing but the shell of a once-grand village."

"Why are _you _here?" Nikolai growled. "Like you said, strange place for tourism."

Her lip curled. "Ah, but like you, I am not a tourist. I come to pay my respects." She bowed her head suddenly. "And apologize." She added in a soft voice.

Katarina surveyed the girl critically, and couldn't stop a feeling of foreboding. "What do you mean, _apologize_?" Her hand strayed back to the knife at her belt.

"Apologize for what I've done." Krystal said in a morose tone of voice. "What I've done to them."

Realization dawned cruel and clear on the two Ryker children. Both took an instinctive step back.

"You mean...?" Nikolai found himself speaking quietly.

"Yes." Krystal whispered. She lifted her head, and for a few seconds she looked much older and much more tired than she should've. "I killed them all."

vVvVvVvVv

The reaction was immediate. Nikolai's blade flashed as he redrew it, almost glowing in the eerie light. He stepped forward, tugging his sister behind him.

"You killed them." Nikolai snarled. His hazel eyes flashed in the way that they always did when he was angry. "Why...?"

Krystal put her hands up again, palm-up. "Please, try to understand." She pleaded. Katarina felt a twinge of remorse among her surprise and anger. The girl was unarmed, and seemed harmless enough. "I wasn't myself, I didn't want to..." She trailed off.

The princess managed to catch the penny before it dropped. "The Darkness."

The younger girl seemed surprised. "You know about it?"

"That's why I'm _here._" Excitement bubbled once more in the pit of her stomach, as if she had just swallowed an entire crate of carbonated water. "I'm researching it. And," She paused before making the proposition. "You could help me."

"Who would research such a topic?" Krystal shook her head, eyes downcast. "Forget it. I do not care what fancy school you go to, or how expensive your private tuition is, this is not worth some extra school credit..."

Something inside of Katarina snapped. _Extra school credit. _The tumor of shame and bitterness she had been carrying around burst. All the weeks of pent-up energy and anger and guilt spilled out. "For your information," She snarled. "This is _not _for some extra school credit."

Nikolai recognized her expression. "Katarina-" He began warningly, but she cut him off.

"This research is _precious _to me. Right now, it's all I have. All the hope I have in the world is riding on finding out what the Darkness is, how it works, and how I can cure someone of it. And if you're too _ignorant _and _blind _to see that-"

"Enough." Nikolai barked, but there was an undertone of worry to the order. "Katarina, stop this."

She was about to turn around and yell at him too when she realized that her skin was smoking. _Whoa. _She had almost just lit herself on fire.

It had been happening often. Too often, for her taste. Since she had begun to research sorcery and the Darkness, she had been practicing her magic more, becoming bolder in the spells she used. It was like a dam had broken inside of her, and the magic would just pour out, sometimes when she didn't call on it. Like when she was sad, or angry.

And that's when things started to catch on fire, or explode.

Krystal eyed the smoke rising from her clothes. "A sorcerer, huh?" She sounded more curious than reproachful, which is how most people sounded when they found out. "Well, I do have a respect for magic-users, surprisingly." She hesitated. "You claim that your research is for a noble cause?"

"Absolutely." The anger had dissipated, shoved into a drawer to be dealt with later. "Will you help me?"

The brunette frowned, examining her muddy shoes. "Help." She muttered. "It's been a long time since I've done that." She looked up, and shrugged. "Might as well."

vVvVvVvVv

"Katarina! Nikolai!" Thor smiled as he approached them in the horse stables. "Good to see you back!"

The princess returned the smile wearily. "Likewise."

Their relationship seemed to have taken a turn for the better. Thor no longer flirted with her. She no longer teased him. Most of this could be attributed to Loki's death (_No, disappearance. _Katarina corrected herself) but there was another reason for Thor's sudden change of attitude towards her.

Although he did not speak about it, Katarina knew anyways: Jane.

The mortal woman had had an affect on the prince. He was quieter, more modest, wiser, more like the king that Katarina knew he could be. It made her slightly proud of him.

Their relationship had turned to more brother-sister.

The prince froze when he saw Krystal. "Who is _that_?"

The brunette had just been dismounting from Nikolai's horse. She drew her cloak tighter around her person as she bowed. "Prince Thor." She said, in slight awe.

He automatically bowed back.

"This is Krystal." Katarina said quickly. "She's come here to help me with my research."

"Your research." Thor echoed. "About...?"

"The Darkness."

He tried to hide it, but she could see him give the tiniest sigh. "Katarina, you should not spend so much of your time on that. Please. Just go out a little more-"

"Sorry, Thor, can't." Krystal seemed surprised at the casual way they were addressing each other. She glanced in amusement between them. "Lots of things to do." She brushed past him. "I hope that you don't mind. I told her she could stay at the palace."

Thor sighed and shot Krystal an apologetic look. "Did she drag you into this?"

"Well, kind of." She admitted. "But I really do want to help her. She seems... a little desperate."

Nikolai snorted behind her as he hung up his saddle. "_Desperate _is an understatement." He scowled. "She's obsessed."

"With the Darkness?" Krystal could not think of a less favorable topic. "Why?"

The two princes exchanged uneasy glances, as if wondering how much they should divulge to the girl. She tried not to feel hurt. After all, they did just meet her a few hours ago.

"Katarina's friend was... _affected_, by the Darkness." Thor said finally, slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. "She's... never been the same."

"Well, _that _I can understand." Krystal tugged nervously on a lock of her hair. There was a bit of silence, which Nikolai interrupted with a small cough.

"Um, Thor, maybe you'd like an explanation."

"Very much so." He crossed his arms.

Nikolai explained the story: how Katarina had found out about the village, how they traveled, glossing over the bit about Krystal's murder spree, saying instead that she was a survivor.

Thor seemed appalled by the end of it. "So you let her go to a cursed village?"

"I know, I know." Nikolai put his hands up in surrender. "But she insisted, and you know what she's like when she makes up her mind."

"Stubborn as a mule." Thor smiled briefly. "Stupid girl."

The men chuckled quietly. They both seemed to be very close to Katarina, and even though the prince of Asgard wasn't in any way related to her, it looked as though he was as much as an older brother to her as Nikolai.

After a few more seconds, Krystal cleared her throat as noisily as she dared. "Hate to interrupt your little memoir review here, but I think _I _deserve an explanation as well."

Both princes blinked and turned towards her, as if they had forgotten that she was there.

"Ah, right." Thor leaned against the wall of the stables. "What do you want to know?"

"First off, you said that Katarina's friend was _affected _by the Darkness. That means she was possessed, right?"

"_He._" Nikolai corrected. "And yes."

"Who is he? And what happened to him?"

Again, they looked at each other. Krystal was beginning to feel frustrated with her lack of information.

"It is not really our place to say." Thor said finally. "This is Katarina's business..."

Krystal gritted her teeth.

"...but I can tell you the gist of it." The prince of Vanaheim shrugged. "A close friend of Katarina's- that's all I can tell you about him- was possessed by a small piece of the Darkness, in a ring." Here, a shadow of what might be shame crossed his face. "It "screwed him up", as the Midguardians say, and messed with his mind. He ended up doing a lot of bad things."

Krystal's mouth went dry. "Is he... dead?"

"We think so."

"What do you mean, _you think so_? How can you _not know _if someone's dead?"

He pursed his lips. "That's all I can tell you. Just know that this project is very important to Katarina."

"On _that _cheery note," Thor smiled at her. "perhaps you would like to join us for dinner?"

vVvVvVvVv

Krystal had to hand it to them. The Asgardian chefs knew how to cook a meal.

The table was unusually long for so little people: Katarina, Nikolai, their younger sister Katia, Prince Thor, a girl named Alienora, and herself. Only six.

Katia was the most adorable thing alive. Reddish blonde hair and multi-colored eyes, with pale porcelain skin like a doll and the sweetest tone of voice she had ever heard. About... ten or eleven years old in Midguardian age.

Alienora was a blonde, with long flaxen hair and tanned skin, bright blue eyes and a playful smile. She seemed to be a little older than herself, same age as Katarina.

The meal was served in silence by servants in white and black uniforms.

"How was your field trip, Katarina?" Alienora asked, grinning. Her friend shrugged.

"Pretty well. I finally got a lead."

"Oh." The blonde shot Krystal a look. They had been introduced to each other earlier, but both of them felt like there was still a bit of a wall between them. A barrier.

Krystal had expected that. I mean, first of all, she was a _commoner. _The rest of the people at the table were powerful, either gods or nobles.

Second, it was obvious that everyone else knew each other, and knew each other well. It was in the way they looked at each other, addressed each other, the way they smiled and shared jokes and talked. Krystal stayed silent most of the meal.

_Why did I take this deal again? _She wondered to herself. _  
_

_Because you're tired of trying to make a living on your own. _Her reason reminded her. _The money Katarina offered you was quite a lot._

Katarina looked up from her food. "Parents aren't joining us?"

"Meeting." Thor informed her. "Apparently it was important." He gestured towards the five empty chairs at the head of the table.

Krystal frowned and swallowed a mouthful of food. She counted the vacant chairs again. "Um, correct my math," All eyes turned to her and she blushed at the attention but forged on. "but isn't someone missing?"

Immediately, everybody tensed, even Katia. Katarina pursed her lips and looked at her hands.

"What do you mean, missing?" Thor asked, trying to be casual, but everybody felt the change in atmosphere. The tension was as thick as hell.

"I mean, two sets of parents... that's four people, right? How come there's an extra chair?" She nodded at said chair, the one on right across from Thor. Suddenly a thought hit her. "Hey, wait, aren't there _two princes _of Asgard? Isn't there another one? Like, Lucky or something?"

She knew that she was probably being disrespectful, but it was an innocent enough question in her mind (she had been disoriented in the few months it took to recover from the Darkness, and she hadn't really cared about the royalty of Asgard anyway) but at the mention of the second prince, Katarina stood up, shoved her chair in so hard that it rocked the table, and left.

Krystal blinked. "What did I say?"

"Nothing." Alienora assured her, but it was obviously something. Her forehead was creased. "It's just that..."

"Did you hear that the other prince died?" Nikolai asked her, bluntly.

Krystal blinked again. "No. Did he?"

Everybody looked at her in surprise. She put her hands up (_I seem to be doing this a lot lately). _"Yeah, yeah, sue me. Just what happened, exactly? I thought gods couldn't die."

"They can't, usually." Thor smiled fleetingly. "But Loki..."

_Loki. _That rang a bell.

_Yes, that's the other princes name. _

_I've heard that name before... and not just from traveling gossip..._

It hit her like a ton of bricks.

_"Count yourself lucky, Asgardian. The pain that you feel now is nothing compared to what is down the road for Prince Loki. Be glad that _you _are no more than an experiment."_

vVvVvVvVv

To hear someone toss out his title and mispronounce his name so casually was like a knife in the heart to Katarina. The pain returned, and suddenly she had no appetite.

She left the dining hall.

_He's out there, he's out there, he's out there... _She reminded herself, but the chant- which had started out so strong- was much shakier now, made weak by the time she had spent without hope.

_Hope. _She repeated bitterly. _What hope do I have?_

She knew instantly where she wanted to go. The bridge.

Heimdall stood guard, of course, gold-orange eyes unwavering as he gazed out into the horizon, stock-still.

"Hello, Gatekeeper."

"Hello, Princess." He spared a glance at her. "You have already visited me today."

"I know." Katarina sat down by the edge. She hesitated. "You _would _tell me if you saw anything, right?"

"Of course." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "What makes you think I would be so unfaithful?"

She flushed, not something she did often these days. "I don't know." She sighed. "Too much doubt."

"Hm." He surveyed her and finally said, "You should not blame yourself for what happened."

She knew instantly what he was talking about and felt her eyes sting with tears. "Why shouldn't I?" She croaked, hating herself for crying and yet was unable to stop herself. "I was right _there._"

"You could do nothing."

"I _could've _done _something_!" She snapped, frustrated. "I could've convinced him, I could have saved him-"

"You couldn't have."

"How would you know?"

"I am the Gatekeeper. I know many things."

"Heimdall-"

"Katarina." He interrupted her firmly. "You blame yourself for things that you have no control over. You feel guilty."

She flinched, confirming the truth in his words.

"It is not your fault." The princess met his gaze. "Prince Loki chose his path. Maybe you should choose your's now."

She was silent as his words sunk in. "Forget him?" She asked, shaking her head. "Never."

"It has been three months-"

"I shall wait forever if it means seeing him again." Katarina got up. "There's still hope."

_Hope. _The word was much sweeter now.

_You _will _see him again. _She told herself forcefully. _You will._

"I should have told you this earlier." Heimdall shifted, almost as if he was uncomfortable. "He did not perish so horribly. In the end, his magic slipped, and I could see his thoughts. There was still light in his life, one bright spot, one beautiful thing he held onto, even in the end."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"You."

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! I got writer's block halfway through, so that's why this chapter's a little "meh".**

**Tell me what you think of it!**

**Oh! And what did you guys think of the dream at the beginning of last chapter? Too OOC? **

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	3. He told me my wife was beautiful

**A/N: I'm so sorry for such a delay in update frequency! I wanted to update LAST weekend, but my relatives came over, and then this week I was totally busy with school and stuff (it started on Wednesday) and so this is literally one of the only times I can actually write.**

**Thank you for all of the Guest reviews on "Her Romeo, His Juliet!" I appreciated how you wrote a review for every chapter instead of just reading to the last chapter and then only leaving a review for that one.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**3rd POV**

_It had been a dark time for her family; Nikolai and Ryker had been fighting even more than usual, and Katia- confused and distressed by all the strife- had taken to wandering off my herself and hiding, throwing her older siblings into frenzies looking for her._

_Katarina had gone to Asgard to find some peace, seeking out solitude in the Great Library, tired of all the drama and battles._

_When she got there, she found that she couldn't even concentrate on the books. The smell of ink and paper didn't comfort her as much as she had hoped it would. The words bled and ran, blurring together and becoming meaningless strings of incoherent gibberish. _

_Frustrated and angry, she had picked up the story she had been currently reading ("The Complete Works of Charles Dickens") and thrown it, letting out her pent-up anger. It hit the wall open-faced and fell to the floor with a thump. Katarina turned away, still seething._

_"What did the book ever do to you?"_

_The princess looked up in surprise to see the Dark Prince of Asgard, Loki himself, leaning against the shelves that she had just thrown the book at, idly flicking through the book she had thrown. "You nearly hit my gorgeous face."_

_Katarina canted a brow, unamused and unfazed. "I thought that we had agreed on 'Thou shalt not stalk Katarina.'" _

_He laughed, setting down the book. "You weren't making it that hard. Thor could've tracked you here." _

_"Did he?" _

_"No. Thank the goodness of all the gods." He clasped his hands in mock-reverence. _

_She bit her lip, turning away. Recognizing her conflicted expression, he moved forward and put his hands on her shoulders._

_"Tell me what's wrong, Katarina."_

_She broke down at the gentleness of his voice, and told him everything._

_"...and I'm not sure what's going to happen to me." She finished, wiping away the tears on her face. She looked down at her hands and realized that they were streaked with black, meaning that the light makeup she was forced to wear by her stepmother was bleeding. "Stupid feminine formalities." She added bitterly. "I bet I look terrible."_

_"You do."_

_"Thanks."_

_He smirked and mock-complained, "I thought that you always wanted for me to tell the truth."_

_"And I thought you would be smart enough to know when a girl wants to be lied to." She countered, scowling, turning away._

_"Well, in that case," He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and turned her back towards him. He gently wiped the smeared makeup from her face."You look beautiful. _Helt nydelig*._"_

_She blushed at his words, seeing the sincerity in his blue-green eyes._

vVvVvVvVv

_Every breath burned._

_He did not know how long he had been screaming; he had lost count of the seconds halfway through. He did not know how long all he had seen was dark and a momentary flash of fire. He did not know how long all he had smelled was his own burning flesh._

_He gasped for breath, each one feeling like he was inhaling smoke from a fire, but at least it was oxygen. He throat was raw from screaming; blood trickled down the corner of his mouth._

_And it hurt, it hurt, it hurt..._

_"I do not know why you fight." The other person said casually, amused, flicking the whip. The bits of metal woven into the tip hit the unseen ground with small clinking noises. "I am offering you everything you have ever wanted. Respect. Power. The throne. Revenge."_

_"People... do not deserve... to die."_

_"You would go through this pain for others?"_

_"I am... one life. They are... many."_

_"How pathetic. Look at you now- the great god Loki, sinking so low as to protect Midguardians. Turning down power, devotion from others, vengeance on those who wronged you!"_

Katarina was shaking when she awoke, and was glad that it was dark. She hated it when people saw her like this, so vulnerable, her heart on her sleeve.

She tucked her knees under her chin, rocking herself back and forth, feeling tears sting her eyes. She squeezed them shut, trying to dispel the horrific images that seemed to be imprinted to the inside of her eyelids.

_He's going to die, he's going to die, they're going to kill him, they're going to kill him, I'm never going to see him again, I'm never going to see his smile again, I'm never going to hear him speak again, I'm never going to hear his words again..._

vVvVvVvVv

"Katarina says that she wants you to use this day to familiarize yourself with the castle." Katia informed Krystal over breakfast.

The brunette raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

She had expected to get right to work; the Vanir princess did not strike her as one to waste time.

The redhead nodded, and looked back down at her food. "She said she wants you to meet some new people..." Here, she glanced at Thor, a couple seats down from her, next to Nikolai. Alienora was curiously absent. "...and she told me to tell _you _to introduce Krystal to Sif."

Krystal was vaguely impressed with the way that Katia was speaking. The girl couldn't have been more than 110 years old**, and yet her voice was carefully calculated so that it was both respectful and authoritative.

_A nice combination. _

Meanwhile, Thor nodded. "This morning, after breakfast, perhaps?"

"Who's Sif?"

"_Lady _Sif," Nikolai cut in. "is a noblewoman, also an honorary member of the Warriors Three- Thor's group of close friends- and a fighter of high caliber. I'm sure you two would get along."

"Got it." Krystal returned to her food.

"And brother?" Katia called out down the table. "Fath- _Ryker _says that you are to attend a political meeting today, with some other nobles."

A low growl emanating from Nikolai's throat made it clear what he thought of this. "Tell him I'm busy."

"He's quite insistent."

"Tell him I have other duties."

"He has checked your schedule."

"Make something up."

"Brother..."

Nikolai moaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great. Another meeting." He pushed himself from the table and left the room with a "Duty calls..."

Krystal looked questioningly at Thor. "Ryker?"

"King Ryker, of Vanaheim. Nikolai's father."

"Oh." She frowned. "Does Nikolai not like meetings?"

"It's not so much the meetings." Katia sighed. "It's Ryker."

"Your father."

Her lips tightened a fraction. "Yes."

"Why not?"

Katia and Thor exchanged looks uneasily. Krystal was tired of getting that look. It was like everybody else was in this secret club where confidential information was exchanged. She hated being out of the loop. "Just tell me; it's not like I'm going to tell anyone else."

"Ryker can be..." Katia struggled to find a word. "...difficult, I suppose."

"Define difficult."

"He's a perfectionist and a "control freak", as Midguardians would say." Katia sighed again and leaned her elbow on the table, the side of her face in her hand, the childlike gesture betraying her youth. "He likes to have perfect children, the perfect family, the perfect public image. Unfortunately, with the abilities that we Ryker children possess-"

"What abilities?"

"Well, for one, you know that Katarina is a sorceress. Magic. Rather uncommon. Rare, even. And me and Nikolai... well, let's just say that we're not completely normal." The ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. "Anyway, with the abilities we possess, we're not exactly the _perfect children _Ryker wants us to be."

"But he still tries to mold you into them." Krystal said slowly, now beginning to understand. She cringed, suddenly. "I bet Nikolai doesn't take that well."

"Not extremely." Katia agreed. "But he's still somewhat obedient. Katarina, however..." Here she grimaced. "Lately, she's been rebelling."

"'Lately?'"

"About a month ago, she started fighting with him, arguing with him, questioning him. He doesn't like that very much."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? He doesn't like his orders being questioned."

"No, I mean why did she start rebelling?"

Another pause, another hesitation, another uneasy glance towards Thor.

Krystal took her chances and guessed. "It's because of Katarina's friend, isn't it?"

"It was a nice breakfast." The prince of Asgard interrupted their conversation, and rose. "Have you finished, Krystal?"

The brunette nodded, knowing that they weren't going to disclose anything, and got up from her chair as well.

"Good. I shall introduce you to Lady Sif. Come this way." He walked out of the hall, and she followed.

Katia was left alone in the dining room, multicolored eyes filled with something that could only be described as pain.

vVvVvVvVv

As it turned out, Lady Sif was a beautiful young woman, with chocolate brown hair and dark eyes and a flawless complexion. Krystal briefly wondered if she was a goddess, and then came to a positive conclusion.

"You're a friend of Katarina?" She smiled, betraying very white and even teeth, extending a hand. Despite her womanhood, what Nikolai had said seemed to ring true. She was taller and much more athletic-looking than most of the women Krystal had seen so far, and her dress was much more practical for moving around in- nothing like the ruffled finery that most of the nobility wore.

"More of a... research partner." Krystal shook her hand. Her grip was strong.

"Research...?" Sif's brown eyes darkened a little, her smile faltering, composure slipping for half a second, but she recovered swiftly.

_So, she too doesn't approve of Katarina's research. _

"Yes." She quickly changed the subject. "Nikolai said that you are a great warrior."

"One of the best." Thor cut in, grinning, clapping her on the back. "She could give anyone a run for their money."

"Including you, my lord?" Krystal took her chances with a joke and was relieved when both of them laughed. She relaxed a fraction. Maybe this experience would be a little enjoyable after all.

"Well, maybe not him..." Sif's eyes were now twinkling.

"Ah, she is being modest! Do you forget the time that you had me on my back?"

His friend chuckled. "Do you mean in that tournament? Yes, it was the first time."

"It was the first time for a lot of things."

"Ah, yes, also the first time you actually _lost _a tournament!"

Here, they gave each other sad, wistful smiles. Krystal toyed with the momentary fact that they were lovers- or past lovers- but bit her tongue when she thought to ask. It was too bold an inquiry.

Instead, she said, "First time that you lost?"

"Yes." Sif smirked. "He had a winning streak a mile long before. But this time he was bested."

"By the better man." Thor finished with just a touch of sadness.

The snicker melted from Sif's face.

The transformation was a little startling. One moment she was smiling and laughing, the next she looked almost angry.

"Not the better man." She reassured him forcefully.

"He was."

"At the time, perhaps."

"Sif, when shall you...?"

"Not ever, Thor." The woman turned towards Krystal, smiled once more (although this time it was more forced) and said, "It was nice to meet you, Krystal." Then she curtsied and left.

Awkward silence fell as the pair watched the woman leave.

"What was that about?" Krystal asked finally, giving Thor a curious glance.

"Nothing." His sky blue eyes had clouded over. "Just a disagreement that we've had for a long time."

vVvVvVvVv

_They had been walking in the marketplace, wearing the clothes of commoners, but not their illusion disguises._

_It was one of the things that Loki loved about the merchants. Since they were always coming and going, they never took the time to figure out what the higher-ups looked like. Katarina and him could go around in their normal forms without the usual doubletake._

_It was nearing evening, and they were just browsing the stalls, arms around each other's waists, Katarina's head on his shoulder, when they came upon a particularly skilled jeweler, and the princess paused._

_"Ah, look at that!" She exclaimed, pointing to a rather stunning ruby and silver necklace. "It's quite beautiful, don't you think?"_

_The merchant smiled. "You have a good eye. I bought that from a Vanir noblewoman- very valuable, very rare."_

_Loki leaned down to speak quietly in Katarina's ear. "If it pleases you, I could buy it."_

_She gave a chuckle- he relished the sound- and shook her head. "I said it was pretty, but I doubt I would wear it." She elbowed him teasingly. "The jewel is red, and I know how much you hate that color on me."_

_He smirked as well, and she drifted from his side to examine some of the merchant's wares a few feet away._

_The merchant flashed Loki a grin, obviously oblivious to his true identity. "_Din kone er vakker. Du ville gjøre best å behandle henne godt."

_Katarina looked up, hearing the Norwegian but being unable to decipher the language because it had been spoken too fast._

_Whatever he had said, it made Loki smile mischievously and he draped his arm around Katarina's shoulders, pulling her to him again. "_Jeg vet. Jeg er en heldig mann."

_The princess raised her eyebrows at him as he pulled her away._

_"What did the man say?"_

_"Nothing." So he wanted to make a game out of it._

_"Come on," She whined, stopping. "Tell me."_

_He turned to face her, managing to keep a completely poker-faced expression. "You shall find it of little interest."_

_"Let me be the judge of that."_

_She had already won, but he still pretended to be reluctant._

_"I still do not think you shall find it worthy of your attention..."_

_"For the sake of all the gods, Loki, tell me!" She begged, but was still laughing._

_"When you say "all the gods" do you mean me too?"_

_"Loki!"_

_"Fine, fine." He brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek, eyes going from teasing to gentle. "He told me that my wife was beautiful, and that I should treat her well."_

_A rosy blush settled in her cheeks. "Loki-"_

_"And I told him that I already knew, and that I was a lucky man." He interrupted her softly, and cupped the side of her face in his hand._

_She smiled and stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're such an idiot."_

_He laughed. She loved the way it sounded._

***meaning "Absolutely beautiful" in Norwegian. I expect Norse gods to speak Norwegian fluently.**

****about eleven or twelve in our years.**

**A/N: So, what did you think? As you can see, I'm trying to include more flashbacks to give you a little insight on Loki and Katarina's relationship through the two years that I skipped over. Hope that you liked it!**

**Any comments on the flashbacks? ****Did anyone catch Katia's verbal slip-up? And do you guys want any side pairing for Krystal or Nikolai or Katia or Alienora or Sif or Fandral or Hogun or Volstagg? **

******Review, favorite, follow.**


	4. Do you doubt me now?

**A/N: Hello, guys! Thank you so much, again, for all that you've done for me! Favoriting, following, reviewing... everything! Thank you!**

**As you noticed, I changed the title. I wanted to play off the "tragic couples" names thing a little more, and I thought that Erik and Christine were a very fitting example for this story. ****I also changed the summary, if you didn't notice. Check that out too.**

**Another thing: the titles for the chapters are quotes from the content. So yeah, if you see something like "I HATE YOU" as a title, just know that one of the characters will say that. [FORESHADOWING].**

**I am also trying to set up a tumblr account, but there's this registration error that keeps holding me back. Ah, technicalities...**

**I am currently at a loss for more of the flashbacks. Do any of you guys have any ideas to help me out?**

**3rd POV**

_They were seated side by side in the library, Katarina's arms around his waist and her head on his shoulder while he read to her. _

_"Oh, gods, this book..." Katarina muttered morosely. "Poor Erik..."_

_"Careful, you are starting to sound like Christine." Loki teased. "Is there some phantom of the palace that you aren't telling me about?"_

_She nudged him playfully. "Well, there was this man-"_

_"Tell me where he lives so I can kill him."_

_"Now _you _are starting to sound like _Raoul_!"_

_"Alas, it is unavoidable. All men's reactions are the same: should our woman be obsessed with another, we feel the inexorable need to destroy something."_

_"Men. But I guess I can't really talk- jealous women research like your father's top-of-the-line spies."_

_"True that."_

vVvVvVvVv

_She couldn't move..._

_She couldn't stop it..._

_It went on..._

_Why didn't it stop...?_

_Why was she chosen...?_

Did it have to be me...?

_She could feel herself ripping through the door, knocking it down with that strength that she never had. Stepping through, hearing the screams from upstairs and from outside; they were everywhere._

_Everything is burning and she can't stop it. People are trying to run, but they're falling down and dying before they hit the village borders. Men, women, _children. _All dying.__  
_

_There are dead at every turn. Corpses at every corner._

_She tries to stop, to pull herself back, straining with every fiber of her strength, but it's all fruitless. She is forced to watch while they all die._

No, stop, stop, I know who's upstairs...

_She can feel herself walking up the stairs..._

No, please, spare them, I don't want to see them die...

_Walking down the hallway..._

No, no, no, this can't be...

_Opening the door... there's another scream, and this one she knows..._

No. No, no, no no no NO.

_Alana is holding Lorelei in her arms as she cowered in the corner, clutching the baby girl to her chest and looking absolutely terrified._

_She feels herself moving forward, towards them, stretching out her hand._

_"No." Alana whispers. "No, it can't be you..."_

_"Sister!" Lorelei manages to squeak, pointing a pudgy finger and smiling. "Sister!"_

_It breaks her heart. That Lorelei will die knowing that it was because of her own older sister._

_"Krystal." Alana chokes out. "Please."_

_It is those sounds that make her stop, let her gain control for only a few seconds._

_And in those few seconds she manages to speak two words._

_"I'm sorry."_

_And then everything is plunged into darkness._

vVvVvVvVv

"Hogun, Volstagg, and Fandral." Thor introduced Krystal to them from left to right.

Hogun was a quiet, black-haired man, which was unusual for an Asgardian. His eyes were dark as well, and he had a serious demeanor.

Volstagg was a short, dwarf-looking man with a red beard and an almost pudgy build, and his eyes twinkled with amusement.

Fandral was a tall blonde young man with a mustache and a playful smile that must drive other young women crazy.

"So, we have another young maiden in the house?" Volstagg asked Thor, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed. Katarina insisted."

"Ah, Katarina..." Fandral frowned slightly. "How is she these days?"

Thor sighed. "Pretty much the same. Studies nonstop. Can't get her to enjoy herself."

Volstagg tsked. "Poor girl." He then switched his attention to Krystal. "Then you're her research partner?"

"Yes, that is what she called me." Krystal tugged almost nervously on her long sleeves. "She wants me to help her with her research on the Darkness."

"If there is such thing." Hogun grunted.

"There is." Krystal insisted. "I know there is."

Inside, she felt a twinge of annoyance. _Of course there's a Darkness. How could he be so ignorant?_

"How?"

The irritation was growing to something akin to anger. "Why do you doubt my word?" She snapped suddenly.

"You are but a stranger to me." He replied simply. "And I have much reason to be dubious of a strange force that no one sees. I find it more of an excuse for the guilty than a real thing."

_Excuse for the guilty._

_Excuse for the guilty._

And now she's angry. The anger makes her blind, and she strides forward, pushing her sleeve up to her elbow while she does it.

Hogun is taller than her, so she has to look up to look into his eyes.

She shoves her arm into his face.

Everyone's eyes are drawn to it, to the marks upon her skin. Black, twisting marks, like serpents, snaking from her throat all the way to her hands.

_The brands of a murderer._

"How do I know that it's real?" She asked quietly. "Because I've felt it, felt it entering my body through my nose and my mouth and every pore of my skin. I've felt it take control of me. I've felt it move my arms as if they belonged to it, and take lives as if they were meaningless. I've felt it move me forward and kill a hundred people, simply as an experiment. And I've felt it kill those whom I have most loved." The rage had melted away to sadness, that deep sorrow in her heart that she always felt when she was in that place, that place where she remembered all who had died. She pulled her sleeve back down and lowered her arm.

"So, now, I ask you: do you doubt me now?"

No one needed to answer the question.

vVvVvVvVv

Katarina was actually present at dinner that night, but she was very quiet and listened more to the conversations instead of talking. The circles under her eyes were darker than usual, and her eyes were morose.

All of this Krystal managed to notice because she was seated directly across from the princess, next to Alienora, who was currently recounting a tale in which there was much laughter. The rest of the table was chuckling.

Krystal managed to crack a grin. She was still feeling rather sickened from her display of anger and sadness that morning to the Warriors Three. Every time she thought of it she winced.

_You fool. You expect them to trust you now?_

"-rystal? Krystal?"

The girl jolted from her thoughts to realize that everyone was staring at her and flushed a deep shade of crimson. _I hate being the center of attention. _"Uh, yes? Sorry about that."

"No problem." Something that might have been a smile flitted around Katarina's lips. "I was just asking you- do you think that we can start the research tomorrow morning?"

"Of course."

"_After _you eat breakfast, right?" Katia cut in, canting a brow at her older sister.

Katarina rolled her eyes and looked back down at her food. "_Yes, Katia-_ _after _I eat breakfast."

"Just wanted to make sure."

"You would've thought that I was the younger sister." She muttered under her breath.

Nikolai snorted. "Might as well be." He glanced at Katarina. "Ryker wants to talk to you, by the way."

"About what?" Her tone was instantly suspicious.

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me."

"When?"

"He says for you to seek him out as soon as possible."

"Meaning now. _Faen._" Katarina got up from the table, sighing. "See you all tomorrow, then." And she drifted out.

vVvVvVvVv

"Ah, Katarina. Good to see you. Sit down."

The princess obediently did as her father bade, and sunk into a straight-backed chair near the fireplace.

Ryker was sitting at a desk, scrawling down a note, and then he stood up, smoothing some of the wrinkles in his silver tunic. He wasn't wearing his crown today.

Katarina thought it immensely unfair that her father was the only one not affected by the turmoil that had happened a few months ago. He looked the same as he did before it all occurred, with his disciplinarian aura, impeccable clothes, and serious demeanor.

_The hardest thing he is going through is being separated from his kingdom. And even that is pretty manageable. He only needs to send letters to his nobles on how to govern._

"How are you, daughter? I haven't seen much of you the past few days."

"The usual." Katarina replied neutrally. "Terrible."

He pretended not to hear the last part, and clasped his hands behind his back. "I have called you here to discuss something of great importance."

_Obviously, otherwise you wouldn't have called me here at all._

"It is about... your betrothal."

_What?_

Katarina just stared, too shocked to say anything. This was _not _what she had expected.

"I have been considering multiple candidates for this matter." Ryker went on, completely oblivious to his daughter's emotional conflict. "And I know that we've left this a bit late, but..."

It was all just meaningless drivel.

Be... betrothal? The word was completely foreign to her. How could she be betrothed _now? _When did this all happen? Had her father forgotten all that she had gone through? With the impending Frost Giant war? With _Loki_?

No, no, no, she could not be betrothed.

She would rather die.

vVvVvVvVv

_Katarina had the vague, distant feeling of someone playing with her hair. Groggy with sleep and head full of fog, she moaned and turned in her sleep._

_Then, _Why in Helheim is someone playing with my hair?_ She froze._

_There was definitely someone there. She reached slowly under her pillow and felt her fingers grasp a cold handle..._

_Suddenly she sat up, bringing the knife up to the person's throat, grabbing the offender's wrist._

_Her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hair. "Loki?" She hissed._

_He looked rather surprised as well. "You sleep with knives under your pillow?"_

_Katarina lowered the blade and let go of him, hoping that the darkness would hide her light blush. "A lady has to be able to defend herself against those who wish to do her harm. Or invade her privacy." She added the last bit haughtily, narrowing her eyes in an accusatory way._

_He shrugged, ignoring it._

_"What were you doing?"_

_"I wanted to see how long it would take you to wake up." He said in his most innocent voice, plucking at his sleeves idly. Despite the fact that it was the middle of the night, he was dressed as if he meant to go out._

_"And how long exactly did it take me?"_

_He grinned. "A little over two minutes."_

_She almost fell backwards into her bed. "You were standing there for _two minutes_?"_

_"A little longer, if you count the time I spent gathering my courage."_

_She flushed again. "Why are you here? If someone sees you-"_

_"No one saw me. Now come. I want to show you something." He grabbed her hand and practically tried to drag her._

_She resisted, hissing, "Loki, have you seen what I am _wearing_?"_

_He stopped and his eyes flicked downwards to her outfit, which consisted of a thin nightgown alone._

_Now it was his turn to blush, and he let go of her hand. "Right. You should change."_

_"Yes, I should. Now get out." She shoved him out the door and closed it, smirking slightly to herself. _The look on his face..._  
_

_Three minutes later, she stepped out into the corridor. "Now, what's going on again?"_

_"I want to show you something. Come here." He pulled the silk scarf from around his neck and turned her around, starting to slip it over her eyes._

_She scowled but did not resist. "If this is one of your tricks-"_

_"No tricks." He promised, knotting the scarf at the back of her head. She shivered when she heard his voice right next to her ear. "I swear."_

_And then he pulled her into his arms, carrying her, bridal style. She yelped, and then she had the weird sensation of moving fast. And then he set her down._

_"Did you teleport me?" She asked, surprised. Wind whipped around her face. They were outside, probably somewhere up high for it to be this windy._

_"Yes. You may pull off the blindfold now."_

_A devious smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Are you sure?" He had his fun, it was time for her to have hers._

_"Yes." He didn't get it yet._

_"Are you sure you're sure?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Are you _absolutely_ sure? Because if you're not-"_

_He started to laugh, and this time pulled the scarf from her eyes._

_And he might as well as pulled her lungs from her body as well._

_They were on the edge of one of the palace rooftops, at least four-hundred feet from the ground. Despite the darkness, the view was incredible. The moonlight illuminated the landscape, the distant hills and lakes, turning the ground to silver._

_Loki placed his hands on her shoulders, and she could practically hear him smiling behind her. "Do you like it?"_

_"It's beautiful." Katarina breathed. She turned around, in awe. "How did you find this place?"_

_His grin could have lit up the dark side of the moon. "I knew you would like it." He sat down, patting the seat next to him. "I was always exploring the palace when I was a child. You know, trying to avoid everybody."_

_"Don't try to make me feel sorry for you." She sat down, leaning back on her arms._

_He shrugged. "It was worth trying." And she elbowed him playfully and he smiled._

_She shuddered suddenly, hugging her arms. "It's cold up here." She complained._

_Instantly, he unfastened the cloak around his neck. But instead of pulling it off, he just opened it up and wrapped an arm around her, draping it over her shoulders. "Better?"_

_"Better." She leaned against him, just enjoying his presence._

_They talk about random things, chatting meaninglessly, and eventually lapse into a comfortable silence. That's the thing that Katarina really loved about Loki. He knew when to just sit back and let the quiet speak for them._

_Finally, with a start Katarina realized that the sun was starting to rise._

_She nudged the prince next to her. "Loki! We should go. Our absence will be noticed."_

_He didn't reply. His head was leaning against hers, and she elbowed him harder._

_"Lok-"_

_She suddenly realized that he was asleep. A smirk graced her lips. _I'll let him rest. I've kept him up all night.

_And, because he was asleep and he couldn't hear her, she let herself be vulnerable._

_"I love you." She whispered, taking his hand and squeezing it. "I love you so much."_

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**I've been working at that flashback for, like, FOREVER and now I finally got it out! Yay! I hope you liked it.**

**And we learned more about Krystal in this chapter! She had a baby sister named Lorelei, and a best friend named Alana.**

**Suggestions for more flashbacks? Theories on Katarina's betrothal?**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	5. Will you marry my daughter?

**A/N: Hello, guys! **

**I am a little uneasy on the lack of feedback I have been receiving recently. So, I was wondering, how's the story going? I'm sorry if I've been boring you with all of the fillers, but don't worry! The next chapter is the last filler, and then we're onto the Avengers and to the action!**

**Oh, and I did set up a tumblr page, and the link can be found at my profile. **

**I'm glad I got the scene at the end of this chapter out. Special thanks to alice in sweetland for giving me the idea. :D**

**Oh! I forgot! Thank you to my newest reviewer, ironhideandratchet! Your review was very appreciated; thank you so much! :D  
**

**3rd POV**

_It was so dark, and so cold._

_Usually, cold didn't bother him; but this was a different kind of cold, a strange chill that seeped into his bones and left him shaking uncontrollably. The iciness crept along his spine._

_"Have you had enough, prince?"_

_"Go to Hel." His voice sounded raspy even to himself. Dry as old bones. "I am much stronger than you think."_

_"Obviously." The voice mused, sounding rather entertained. "You have lasted much longer than any other candidate before... oh, but this is _fun_, Loki. Fun to see you try to go against the Darkness and eventually become it."_

_"In your sick and twisted dreams."_

_"You mean nightmares." Even in the awful dark, he could see the man's smile. "And eventually, those nightmares will be come your orders."_

vVvVvVvVvVv

"How did that even work _out_?" Katarina asked scathingly, every word clipped, cutting off her father's speech about possible grooms as soon as she recovered. "Do you get down on your knees in front of every noble's son and say, "_Will you marry my daughter*?_""

"This is not of laughing matter, Katarina." Ryker scolded in a fatherly voice that made Katarina want to throw up.

"Do I look like I am laughing?" The princess got up from her chair and looked into her father's stern hazel eyes. "This is pathetic."

"Why are you so upset?" He asked in a surprised tone of voice. "I thought that you would be delighted."

"_Delighted_?" Katarina spat incredulously. "I am mortified. Mortified that you would marry off your own daughter as if she was livestock." She took a step closer to him, narrowing her eyes. "Have you forgotten what I've gone through this past few months?"

"Your petty romance with that _prince-_" Here, his lip curled as if he was thinking of a much worse word than _prince. _"-was no more than a "crush", a wave of desire-"

"A _crush_?" She stepped forward again, gritting her teeth. "Tell me, father, would I try to throw myself off the rainbow bridge for a _crush_?"

"You were gripped by madness; you were not yourself-"

"No! No, you are so _blind, _father! You cannot see that I loved him, and that I love him still!"

"He is dead and a traitor to Asgard and the Nine Realms!" Ryker cried out. "Your love shall kill you, poison your pure soul with its lies- I am trying to _save _you, Katarina!"

"You are trying to _kill _me!" She yelled back, balling her hands into fists. "I swear I shall die if you subject me to the horrors of an estranged love!"

"This marriage shall help you! You shall learn to love him."

"What would you know on _love_?" She laughed mirthlessly, eyes cold. "Your own wife killed herself because she was so unhappy with you!"

Katarina knew immediately that she had crossed a line by mentioning Lydia. Ryker's face drained of all color, paling with rage.

He couldn't even speak for a few seconds. And then, when he did, his voice was quiet, the way it was when he was really, _really _angry.

"Do not speak to me of Lydia. And you _will _marry. I do not care if I have to drag you. But you _will _obey." And he turned his back to signal that the conversation was over.

Katarina felt like screaming, but she left the room, slamming her shoulder into the door and it flew open, banging into the wall behind it.

She almost ran into Krystal and Thor, who were right outside.

Noticing the stormy look on her face, Thor asked, "Katarina, what...?"

"Leave. Me. _Alone._" She hissed through gritted teeth, seeing Krystal's startled expression but she was too angry to care. She brushed past them, heading to her room, feeling the magic bubble up inside of her. It would need to be released, or else it would release itself.

As soon as she slid the bolt over the entrance to her room, she cried out, reached for the nearest object, and hurled it across the room. The vase crashed against the wall, smashing to pieces.

It wasn't enough.

She threw a book against the wall, feeling the tears in her eyes. A few papers were ripped out of the notebook, and drifted lazily to the floor.

It wasn't enough.

The magic exploded out, all at once, and her books flew from the shelf, her bottles of ink upset themselves, her pens rolled from the table, all creating a terrible mess, but at the moment she didn't care, didn't care, didn't care at all.

_Betrothal._

_Marriage._

_I'd rather die._

She cried out and slammed her fist into her full-length mirror, and it shattered on impact, a spiderweb of cracks appearing where her hand made contact.

Spots of blood appeared on the glass. She tried to wipe them away, but they only smeared scarlet.

She cried softly to herself, sinking to the floor, cradling her bleeding hand.

And then there was a hand on her shoulder. "Katarina?"

vVvVvVvVvVv

Krystal was experiencing a major dosage of dèjà vú as she saw the princess of Vanaheim crouched on the floor, sobbing quietly.

Her room was in ruins. Books and shards of glass were strewn about on the floor, black and purple and green ink seeping into the parchment and spreading steadily over the floor. Pens and quills lay broken.

_I used to look like that. _Krystal realized. _I used to look that miserable. That... _broken.

That was the only word that could possibly define the princess's sate of being.

"Katarina?" She put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

The redhead flinched at the touch and pulled away slightly. "Yes... I'm... fine." The pain in her voice was as sharp as broken glass.

"Like hell you are." Krystal knelt down next to her. "Tell me what's wrong, Katarina."

She openly cringed, as if this statement brought up bad memories. Then she spoke. "My father wants to marry me off."

"Well, that's not too bad." Krystal shifted her position as Katarina gave her an incredulous look. "Is it?"

"For me, it is as good as a death sentence."

"Um... how?"

It was Katarina's turn to be uncomfortable. She dropped her eyes, and then finally she said, "Krystal, have you ever been in love?"

_Love? _

_Oh, holy gods of Asgard, if only you knew, Katarina. But that's a tale for another day._

She put on her best pokerface and said, "Can't say I have. Why?"

Katarina hesitated, and then sighed. "This is a long story."

"I have time."

"I... do not know where to start."

"At the beginning. That's the best part."

vVvVvVvVvVv

"I decided to forgo our usual meeting place of the library for the Royal Gardens tomorrow. Meet me there instead?"

_The note that was sent to Katarina in Vanaheim was unsigned, but she could've recognized the writing anywhere. Written in green ink and in a slanting scrawl that was somehow both practical and elegant._

_For a moment she just stared at it, smiling, trying to memorize his handwriting. The way the dot in the _i_ in _decided_ and _library_and _instead_ was more of a dash, the way the bottom of the _t_ was curved slightly to the side._

"Special occasion?"_She grabbed a pen and wrote this on the blank space of parchment underneath. Then she tapped it with her finger and the note disappeared._

_Hardly thirty seconds passed before it reappeared, this time with more writing. "_Perhaps_." Even on paper, the sly note to his words were not missed. "_Will you be there?_"_

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." _She promised back, truly meaning it._

vVvVvVvVv

_The garden was in full bloom, more magnificent than ever in the serene, gilded sunlight of the early afternoon. Fat golden bees with their inky black stripes and loud buzzing drifted lazily from bright flower to bright flower, accompanied by the occasional dainty butterfly or swift hummingbird._

_Katarina deeply inhaled the sweet fragrance of the flowers and springtime, and couldn't help but smile._

_"It's beautiful, don't you think?" She asked aloud._

_"Do you want me to be completely honest with you on that?" Loki replied, seemingly appearing from nowhere. She turned to him and smiled assent._

_"It all pales in comparison to you." He produced a black and purple dahlia and placed it behind her ear, tucking a few strands of errant hair with it._

_"You and your silver words." She tsked, but couldn't stop the light blush from coloring her cheeks. "So, what's the occasion?"_

_"Oh, I had a special story to read to you today." He sat down on a bench underneath a beech tree and motioned for her to sit next to him._

_"More special than usual?" She complied._

_"I should think so." He cleared his throat, and for one second, his composure slipped and Katarina saw with surprise that he was _nervous_._

"Once upon a time..." _Loki began._

_"Aren't you reading from a book?" Katarina interrupted, curious._

_"Hush." He nudged her with his elbow. "I've memorized it." He cleared his throat again. _"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who lived in Vanaheim."

_Katarina didn't say anything, but raised an eyebrow at him in question. He simply continued with his story._

"She was so beautiful that all of the young men of her realm and beyond sought out her hand in marriage, speaking to her father and begging him to let them court her, but her older brother- fearing for her freedom- advised him against it, and she remained without companionship until she was nineteen."

_"This story sounds rather familiar."_

_"_But one night, at a dinner party, she met a stranger. And a very interesting stranger indeed, for he was different than any other person she had ever known before."

_"True that." Katarina admitted, grinning. "I never knew someone who was as vain as you."_

_He ignored her._ _"_He refused to give her his name, instead leaving her with a swiftly beating heart and a flushed face. But she saw him not a week later, at a hunting party in Asgard."

_"Strike that. I never knew someone who was as vain _and_ arrogant as you."_

_"Accurate self-assessment can be sometimes perceived as vanity." Loki replied, smirking, before resuming the story._ _"_Again, he remained anonymous.

"But the princess was smart, and was nettled by her lack of information about him, so she laid a trap for him. One that he fell into, completely oblivious.

"It turned out that the stranger was the Dark Prince of Asgard, shunned by his fellows for his use of magic and spells, and that he had kept her in the dark about his identity because he was afraid of losing her friendship as well."

_Here, Katarina took his hand and squeezed it. He spared a second to give her a smi_le.

"But she did not revoke her companionship with him, instead progressing it, to his surprise and delight.

"Many weeks passed, through which the princess and the prince grew closer together but were too shy to express their feelings of affection for each other.

"Until one day the prince finally admitted his feelings-"

_"Correction," Katarina interrupted. "The prince tried to admit his feelings, failed miserably, and then the princess read his mind and predicted what he was going to say and gave her assent with joy, although she hid it because of her pride."_

_Loki laughed and repeated her version._ _"_The prince tried to admit his feelings, failed miserably, and then the princess read his mind and predicted what he was going to say and gave her assent with joy, although she hid it because of her pride.

"For fear that the prince's jealous older brother would find out- for he had been trying to court the princess for many weeks- they had to keep their relationship a closely-guarded secret.

"Their love for each other grew, and eventually it mounted to a point where the prince could not contain himself anymore."

_Loki turned so that he was facing her, and he placed his hands on her shoulders._

"So, one day, he took her to the Royal Gardens..."

_He trailed his fingers down her arms until he grasped both of her hands in his._

"...and he got down on one knee..."

_He slid from the bench to the ground, on one knee, still holding her hands. Katarina suddenly knew what was coming but was too stunned to react._

"...and he poured out his heart to the princess and begged her to marry him." _He locked her eyes with his. "Katarina, you have become everything I care about, and I see you in everything that is beautiful: in the sunset, the sunrise, the flowers of this garden, the sky and the ocean. I hear your laugh in the spring rain and the gentle summer breezes, and I see your smile in my mind without bidding. Life without you would be meaningless, and I would rather die." A smile appeared on his face. "Will you marry me?"_

_Tears gathered in her eyes. "Yes." She whispered. "A thousand times yes." And as he slid a ring onto her left hand, she jumped forward and tackled him with a hug, tears streaming down her face and feeling the happiest she had ever felt in her life._

***credit to kecaswell for that one. :) I really loved that line ("Will you marry my daughter?") so I decided to use it.**

**A/N: So, what do you guys think? Alice in sweetland, thank you so much for your suggestions! You inspired this chapter!**

**Please tell me what you guys thought of the flashback! I thought it was cute (and it literally made one of my friends dissolve into tears) but I want to know what you guys think.**

**Also, any theme song suggestions, fanart applications, and feedback on Krystal is beneficial and recommended!**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	6. It probably killed him

**A/N: Okay, sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I wasn't motivated, and I didn't want to write when I wasn't motivated, 'cause then my chapters turn out like crap. **

**Anyway, I am currently at a sleepover with my two friends, and it is exactly 2:39 AM. We were watching a bunch of YouTube videos (mostly about Loki) and one of my friends forced me into updating again. One of my best friends has officially turned into a Loki fangirl (Did you know that Master Hiddleston himself can DANCE?)**

**Okay, in this chapter get ready to F-L-Y. We are literally going to skip all the way through the two years that Loki is missing. Next chapter dives right into Avengers.**

**3rd POV**

"YouTube?" Katarina sounded thoroughly amused. "Why would you want to put you in a tube?"

Krystal moaned and facepalmed, punching the bridge of her nose. "It's not like that, Katarina. You're missing the concept." The girl was finding it increasingly difficult to describe many of the mortal things she had grown attached to when she had lived half her life in Midguard. She was, after all, half-Midguardian. "It's like, videos."

"Videos." The Vanir repeated.

"Yes. Like moving pictures."

"Moving pictures."

"Yeah. You can find them all over the Internet- that's like this huge network where you can look stuff up. Some people call it the Web."

"So it would be... the Interwebs?"

"Yes! No! I mean... agh! Stop trying to confuse me!"

"I am not attempting anything of the kind." She sounded even more entertained than she did before.

"I wish I had some of my devices... I could show you some of my favorite YouTubers... wait, would I even have Internet here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Wi-Fi."

"...Wi-Fi?"

"Yeah, it stands for... actually, I have no idea what it stands for.*"

vVvVvVvVvVv

"I was wondering," Katarina mused, pausing momentarily in her writing. She looked up and tapped the end of her quill against her cheek. "The Darkness... you said that it was kind of an overwhelming type of thing, correct? It swarmed you like a hive of bees?"

In way of answer, Krystal ripped a piece of paper from Katarina's giant notebook and taped it to the wall. "Okay, so let me explain.

"The Darkness is strange. It's a force inside of everyone, in every living soul." She drew a circle on the paper and wrote SOUL in big, capital letters. "In your soul, you have two different forces." She drew a line through the middle. "Darkness." She shaded one half dark but left the other half alone. "And Light.

"Darkness is usually always overshadowed by the Light. But sometimes, people go through things that strengthen their Darkness, or someone with more Darkness than the average person- like the Dark Elves from Svartalfheim*- can cast spells to manipulate another's Darkness into becoming stronger." She completely colored in the circle now. "It works different with everyone. For instance, the... Second Prince-" (Katarina twitched ever so slightly when she said that) "-was already suffering from jealousy and anger, dark emotions. When he received the ring-"

"We still don't know where that came from." Katarina cut in, almost sulkily.

"-all it gave him was the little push to keep him in the Darkness. You saw what effect in had on him. He wasn't himself at all."

The Vanir princess nodded.

"It was different for me. I wasn't driven by dark emotions like he was. The Darkness I found in the children's toy box... it drove me insane." For one brief second, Krystal's mask slipped and a haunted look flitted across her face. "I was totally not in control. I could see everything that happened, and yet I was powerless to stop it... it was terrible." Her eyes drifted to the floor, but then snapped up again.

"Let's move on..."

vVvVvVvVvVv

"Party?" Katarina echoed, with slight amusement. She shook her head. "Sorry, father. I cannot."

Ryker's eyes grew dangerously bright. "And why is that?"

Katarina did not recognize the signs. "I do not have time for such foolishness. It is a waste of my time." She began to get up from the table.

Her father grabbed her arm. "I already said that you would be performing."

She scowled and turned around, glaring. "Why would you do that before getting my consent?"

"Because you _will _go." Ryker said in his most threatening voice. "I _am _your father, and your king, and you _must _obey."

There was a brief test of wills as father and daughter stared at each other. Nikolai surveyed them warily.

Lately, their relationship had been rocky, when before it had been neutral. They were fighting almost every day now, with Ryker trying to find Katarina a suitor, and Katarina rejecting every single one.

"You know, the last one wasn't so bad." Nikolai had said reasonably after meeting another one of the potential grooms. His sister had shaken her head, looking stricken. "Why are you so determined to drive them off?"

"Because they're not Loki." Katarina had replied, eyes falling to the floor. "They'll never come close."

Finally, Katarina said quietly, "You are _not _my father. You have never _been _my father." She narrowed her eyes. "I will perform, only because I do not want to break my promises." And she stormed out.

vVvVvVvVv

Katarina was so angry that she could barely see what was in front of her. The crowd's eyes were on her, so she forced her expression into one of calm, although she was still seething inside.

She was supposed to sing a song for them. Sing an Asgardian classic, which her father had deemed appropriate.

But as she looked around the room, her eyes were drawn to the piano in the corner.

And an idea came to her. A rebellious backlash. She smirked.

And headed towards the piano. Everybody's eyes followed her.

Ryker frowned, but he didn't interrupt. She wasn't supposed to play anything. Just sing a song.

She took a seat and began to play, a slow, mournful melody that seemed to resonate in the air. Her fingers danced over the keys.

And then she began to sing, in the most heartbroken voice that anyone in the room had ever heard before. They were all captivated before the first note came out of her mouth.

"_2AM,_  
_Where do I begin?_  
_Crying off my face again,_  
_The silent sound of loneliness,_  
_Wants to follow me,_  
_To bed,_

_I'm the ghost,_  
_Of a girl,_  
_That I want to be most,_  
_I'm a shell,_  
_Of a girl,_  
_That I used to know well,_

_Dancing slowly, _  
_In an empty room,_  
_Can the lonely take the place,_  
_Of you?_  
_I sing myself,_  
_A quiet lullaby,_  
_Let you go,_  
_And let the lonely in,_  
_To take my heart again._"

A Midguardian song. Totally _not _planned. Nikolai smiled to himself. _Stupid girl. Stupid, brilliant reckless girl. Father will be furious._

vVvVvVvVv

"You idiot!" Ryker roared in the empty room that he had dragged Katarina to after her performance. "You absolute fool!"

The princess herself stood calmly, hands clasped behind her back, pleased with the sudden turn of power. Before she had been angry and helpless, but now she was the one that held the cards.

"I was under the impression that the guests loved it." She said innocently.

"You do not know what you have done!" Ryker snarled, pointing to her, stopping his pacing. "You dare to sing a Midguardian song...?! Perhaps you should join them if you love them so much!"

"Midguardians make truly beautiful music, sir. They have an understanding of melody in their ridiculously short lives that we, as Aesir, will never acheive. When I die, I hope to meet some of the more famous Midguardian musicians in Valhalla."

"What if they went to Helheim?" He sneered, lip curling.

She met his gaze coolly. "Then you can meet them."

He automatically raised his hand, and Katarina didn't even notice what he was going to do when he brought his fist down.

Driven by a primal instinct, she raised her arms to protect her face and cried out, "The guests, father!"

He stopped in mid-slap, remembering the guests as well. It would not do for his daughter to go around with a bruise on her face. It wouldn't do at all.

So he lowered his arm and growled, "Later, Katarina. Later." And left.

As soon as he did, the princess collapsed against the table behind her, gripping it with her hands while she felt tears trace their way down her cheeks.

_He... he almost hit me. _She closed her eyes. _Just like he almost hit mother._

vVvVvVvVvVv

"He really does love you, doesn't he?"

Katarina looked up in surprise from her book to see Krystal staring at her, an almost wistful expression in her green eyes as she leaned against the bookshelf, arms crossed. "What?" She stammered, caught completely off-guard by the question.

"Loki. He really loves you, doesn't he?" The younger girl repeated her question, smiling sadly.

The princess bowed her head in reply, avoiding eye contact as she flipped through the book in her hands, running a thumbnail over the differently grained papers. And sighed, anguish sagging in every line of her face. In the candlelight, she looked like an old woman. "I don't know anymore. He thinks I betrayed him."

"Mm, I know he still loves you." Krystal said matter-of-factly, returning to her hunt for information by digging through a stack of papers perched on the desk.

"How?" Katarina asked miserably, putting a hand on her friend's arm, desperate for answers. Blue met green.

"Because of this." The younger girl reached forward and hooked one finger around the chain at Katarina's throat. The ring that hung there glinted with its tri-colored metals. "He gave this to you, didn't he?"

Katarina blinked. "The promise ring?"

Krystal looked surprised. "It's a promise ring?"

"Uh, yes."

"Well, that's proof too, but not the proof I was talking about." She let go of the necklace. "There's a couple of spells on that thing. Well, a spell and a curse."

Katarina felt her blood run cold. "A curse?"

"Good and bad."

"What kind of spells?"

"First, there's an empathy link. Brief, vague interpretations of the other's feelings or emotions. If it's strong enough, the two people can even manage telepathic speaking."

"News to me."

"He never told you? Well, I guess it's understandable, considering the other spell."

"The curse?"

"Yeah. It's kind of linked to the empathy thing." Krystal sat down in a chair, reading, turning pages at random, skimming the sentences. "A memory curse."

"What does that mean?"

The other girl hesitated before speaking. "It's a bit of complex magic that... well, in this case, should the other end of the empathy link go dead- meaning that the other person died- then the curse reveals itself. It makes you think that you were under a spell this entire time. Like, an attraction spell."

Katarina was confused. She sat down. "Meaning...?"

"_Meaning _that if Loki died, then you would "suddenly realize" that he had put a spell on you to make you love him."

"But he didn't!"

"Yeah, that's the whole point. If I had to guess, he put the curse on there to spare you as much pain as possible. If you thought that the only reason why you loved him was because of a spell, then you wouldn't mourn, you wouldn't cry when he died. You would curse him for taking away almost three years of your life."

She dropped her eyes. "I bet it killed him." She added softly, and her voice was filled with something like longing. "To think that, if he died, no one would miss him, not even you. But he knew that it would be less painful for you. You would be unhurt, you would forget him, you would move on and fall in love with somebody else. It probably broke his heart, to do something like that." She looked up again, and Katarina was surprised to see something that looked like _hunger _on Krystal's face. "It's beautiful, really, when you think about it. That someone would choose your life over his own, choose your happiness over his."

And then Krystal started to read her book again, leaving Katarina completely speechless.

Her peaceful reading was interrupted by a choking sound. Lifting her eyes from the book, she saw with slight horror that Katarina had started to cry, face buried in her hands and tears streaming down her face and through her fingers.

vVvVvVvVvVv

_"Father?" Katarina asked suddenly at dinner, breaking the silence. Her heart was beating rather fast, and she hadn't even voiced her question yet._

_It still felt surreal; like the Second Prince of Asgard had not just proposed to her a few days ago._

_They had yet to tell their parents. Now was the time for Katarina._

_"Um, just asking... hypothetically..."_

_"Hypothetically?" Ryker looked up from his food, frowning slightly._

_"Yeah, meaning, _in a pretend situation._" Katarina swallowed. "Let's say, hypothetically, someone proposed to me."_

_It brought immediate silence. Katia and Nikolai and Synthia looked up from their food, open-mouthed._

_"Hypothetically!" The princess said hastily. "And, just, you know, hypothetically... what would you do?"_

_Ryker was the only one that was not responding in a surprised manner. "Well," He said evenly, cutting his food. "Hypothetically, I would see what kind of rank they held..."_

He's good on that. _Katarina let herself hope a tiny bit._

_"...whether or not they were capable of taking care of you..."_

Definitely. _She let herself hope even more._

_"...and I would ask around to see if they had a warrior's reputation."_

_And just like that, her hopes were dashed. He would never approve._

_But she kept her tone light, kept her expression neutral even though she was despairing inside. "Well, it's a good thing that we're speaking hypothetically then."_

***Okay, kudos to anyone who actually knows what Wi-Fi stands for. I'm too lazy to look it up right now.**

****And kudos to anyone who can pronounce that correctly. (My friends are struggling. [#thestruggleisreal] Okay that was really weird; I never use hashtags. Huh. Strange.)**

**A/N: Whoa, what's up with Krystal? *le gasp* Perhaps she has heard so much about Lucky *cough cough Loki* and has decided to make a move on him when he shows up again?**

**Oh, and I love that scene where Katarina tells her father that he's going to Helheim. :D Anyone share my love?**

**I'm still accepting fanart submissions! And theme songs!**

**The friends that they are based on want to know: thoughts and/or possible parirings for Krystal and Alienora?**


	7. It was the calm before the storm

**A/N: I'm sorry this took me so long to write: I had to watch a few seconds of "The Avengers" on my iPad, switch back to Safari, write it out, and then switch back to the video, and then it had to RELOAD, and then I had to wait until it got back to the part I was at... and yeah. It was a lot of messy stuff. But I INSIST on having correct dialogue.**

**This is a longer chapter. I hope you like it!**

**3rd POV**

"Are you sure that you haven't pushed him a little too far, my lord?"

"Too far? Not at all."

"I don't understand how you can be so unconcerned. I've visited his cell. He shies away from anything and everything that moves. Flees from the light, whereas before he welcomed it."

"What of it?"

"He is a broken man, my lord. A broken man with a ripped soul and a frozen heart. You've shattered his mind."

"Don't fret. He will do nicely for the tasks I have hammered into his brain."

"How will he execute your will if he is damaged beyond repair? Admit it, Thanos. You've gone too far."

"No. Trust me on this. I have tortured thousands, and in the end they did my will. Laufey's son will be no exception."

vVvVvVvVvVv

The Tesseract has awakened."

"Finally."

"It is on a little world, a human world. They would wield its power, as our ally knows its workings like they never will.

"He is ready to lead, just as you predicted. A world will be his. The universe, yours. And the humans... what can they do but _burn_?"

vVvVvVvVvVv

"ALL PERSONNEL, REPORT TO YOUR EMERGENCY EVACUATION VEHICLES IMMEDIATELY. THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

This announcement rang out around the SHIELD encampment, forcing people to run in droves to cars, dressed in a strange assortment of pajamas and uniforms, holding bags and suitcases and in some cases, teddy bears.

A helicopter landed on one of the helipads, near a man in an impeccable black and white suit and dark, heavily tinted sunglasses.

From the helicopter emerged two people: a woman with dark brown hair in a pixie cut, with a serious expression and an African American man with an eyepatch covering three ugly black scars going across his eye. The former wore a dark uniform that included a walkie-talkie and a handgun at her belt, the latter in a uniform as well but with a cape added to complete the look.

"How bad is it?" The African American man shouted to the man in the suit, struggling to be heard over the roar of the helicopter.

"That's the problem, sir." He replied. he flicked off his sunglasses, and this time an undertone of worry showed through his before calm voice. "We don't know."

vVvVvVvVvVv

"Dr. Selvig read an energy source from the Tesseract four hours ago." Coulson continued to explain as quickly as possible as they headed to the area of most concern.

"NASA didn't authorize Selvig to go to test phase." Fury objected.

"He wasn't testing it. He wasn't even in the room." Here, Coulson looked Fury in the eye. "Spontaneous event."

"It just turned itself on?" This was Hill, sounding both skeptical and worried.

"Where are the energy levels now?" Fury ordered. He was already assessing the damage, analyzing the situation, trying to get it all under control.

"Climbing. When Selvig couldn't get it to stop, we ordered evac."

"How long until you get everyone out?"

"Campus should be clear in about half an hour."

"Do better." With this statement, it was clear that Coulson was dismissed. The agent nodded and headed off to try and speed up the evacuation.

"Sir," Hill spoke up as they were climbing the stairs. "Evacuation may be futile."

The Director's voice was full of sarcasm. "We should tell them to go back to sleep?"

Undeterred, Hill forged on. "If we can't control the Tesseract's energy, there may not _be _a minimum safe distance."

Fury completely ignored that grim statement. "I need you to make sure that the Phase 2 prototypes are shipped out."

Hill's mouth twisted with disdain. "Sir, is that really a priority right now?"

"Until such time as the world ends, agent, we shall act as though it intends to spin on." He met her eyes with his one. "Clear out the tech below. Every piece of Phase 2 on a truck and _gone._"

Although Hill disagreed, she straightened up slightly and said, through pursed lips, "Yes, sir." And then she brushed past the Director and headed down some more stairs.

Fury allowed himself a brief smile before continuing on. Hill was a true soldier.

"Talk to me, doctor." He called out as he emerged into the room where the Tesseract was being stored.

It was a very big room, with a complex contraption holding the thing itself placed in the very middle. The ceiling was high and arched, the walls plated with metal.

The Tesseract itself was a cube about the size of a grown man's fist, electric blue and sending off curls of energy the same color. It was hard to look directly at it.

Selvig looked up. "Director." He sounded surprised and slightly nervous.

"Is there anything we know for certain?"

"The Tesseract is... misbehaving." He admitted. Behind him, a personnel in a white coat tried to tap the cube with a metal instrument. The silver rod ended up smoking and burned, while the young man flinched, suddenly grateful that he was wearing safety goggles.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" The Director asked.

"It's not funny at all." Selvig said gravely. He headed over and then fell into stride with Fury. "The Tesseract is not only active, she's... behaving."

"I assume you pulled the plug."

"She's an energy source." The doctor sounded extremely frustrated. "We turn off the power, she turns it back on." He went behind a computer. "If she reaches peak level-"

"We have prepared for this, doctor." Fury interrupted, almost accusingly. Behing him, the Tesseract rumbled. "Harnessing energy from space."

"We don't have the harness." Selvig tapped a few things on his keyboard, frowning slightly at the screen. "My calculations are far from complete. And she's throwing off interference, radiation." The Director immediately glanced over his shoulder, surveying the cube warily. Selvig caught his glance and added, "Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation."

Fury looked back at Selvig. "That can be harmful." He deadpanned. Selvig resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Where's Agent Barton?"

Here, the doctor openly scoffed. "The Hawk?" He jutted his thumb over his shoulder, something reminiscent of distaste on his face. "Up in his nest, as usual."

Meanwhile, up in the scaffholding, a young man was sitting on a ledge, gripping the metal railing with both hands as his feet dangled below. "Agent Barton," His earpiece crackled to life. "Report."

_Duty calls. _Hawkeye jumped up and slid down the cable he had attached to the ledge.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Fury said, "I gave you this detail so that you could keep a clse eye on things."

"Well, I see better from a distance." Hawkeye retorted as they headed back over to the Tesseract.

The Director lowered his voice and pointed. "Have you seen anything that might set this thing off?"

"Doctor," A blonde woman in a white coat called out, and Selvig looked up. "It's spiking again."

"No one's come or gone." Barton murmured. His blue eyes drifted over to the doctor, who was now standing next to the woman, examing the glass screen with grim expressions. "And Selvig's clean. No contacts, no IMs."

The two agents stepped up onto the dias where the Tesseract was, and Hawkeye continued. "If there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end." He crossed his arms.

Fury looked up. "'At this end?'" He echoed, looking almost alarmed.

Hawkeye looked at him, and he seemed rather calm. "Yeah, the Cube's a door to the other side of the space, right?" Here, he shrugged. "Doors open from both sides."

As if his words somehow had an effect on probability, the Cube pulsed, sending out a wave of energy that shook the floor. Both SHIELD agents stumbled, attention successfully directed.

"Not yet." Selvig muttered, tapping furiously at the computer.

It pulsed again, and this time the entire facility shook, the ground trembling, shuddering, th foundations sounding as if they were cracking. It was a sound like thunder; a warning of the storm to come.

Everybody stared at the Cube. The Tesseract continued to send out waves, as if irritated, and finally a beam of bright blue energy shot out towards the front of the room, creating a large circle of pulsing electricity.

And then it impoded, causing the energy to crawl up the sides of the room, gathering in a pulsating mass of pure power in the arched ceiling.

It was deathly silent. Everybody was tense. Everybody was waiting.

It was the calm before the storm.

Through the smoke and haze and remnant flames of blue, the personnel could barely make out a figure, kneeling on the ground, holding something that resembled at spear in one hand.

Armed troops in black uniforms crept forward, weapons held at the ready, while the Director and the agent on the dais reached for their guns.

The figure rose slowly, and as he looked at them, everyone momentarily hesitated.

There was a grin of pure madness on his face.

And then the smile faded, and a look of confusion took its place, as if he was thinking, _Why are these puny mortals pointing those toys at me?_

Those were, in fact, his direct thoughts.

He was tall, taller than both the Director and Barton. His hair was dark as midnight and slicked back, and his skin was pale as parchment, long hours away from the sun bleaching the healthy glow from his complexion. His eyes were a bright, electric blue; the same shade as the Tesseract's energy. There was a strange glint to it; the fire of either a madman or a genius.

He was wearing a strange sort of armor- black and green with veins of gold running through it, and in his hand, there was a weapon: a gold and silver spear, with a wicked point, and something that looked like a pulsing blue stone set in the tip.

Whatever it was, the Director decided not to take his chances.

"Sir!" Fury called out, and the stranger's head flicked towards the sound. "Please put down the spear!"

He looked down at his weapon, as if seriously considering doing what he was ordered to do. And then he decided against it, looking back up and shooting a blue beam of energy at one of the soldiers.

Fury and Barton dove aside to dodge the blast, but they could still feel the force of it rippling through the air. They both decided that they did _not _want to get hit by that.

vVvVvVvVvV

Loki wasted no time in reducing their task force to a chaos. He jumped at one of them, driving the tip of his spear into his chest, relishing the look of shock and despair on his face as he spluttered and died.

_The first blood of a new war. _A wave of excitement crashed over him. He felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins like poison.

They were still shooting at him. Irritated, the Fallen Prince of Asgard turned around and hurled two knives at the offenders. They caught them in their necks, and they were down too.

Loki slammed the shaft of his spear across the chest of another, and then shot another blast of energy at a woman in white, causing her to scream as the mechanism she had been working on to fall on top of her.

It was chaos, beautiful chaos, a maelstrom within scarce curtailment.

They had recovered from their shock, and had gathered in a formation. He smiled to himself, almost amused. _Midguardians are always doing that. Organizing things. What a strange habit, especially when the things that are so neatly categorized can tumble at the lightest of touches. _He turned again, and felt one of the shots hit him in the side of his face, but it barely stung.

With one well-aimed blast three out of four of them went flying. One, though, was faster and manged to roll away before he was blown to bits.

He kicked a man in a suit that had gotten too close and he hit the wall at sixty miles an hour. Loki was satisfied as he heard the crack of bone.

Finally he paused in his destruction, and surveyed the mess he had made. Tech had collapsed on themselves, people were on the ground dead or dying, others were moaning and unconscious. Machines sparked or smoked, and some had caught on fire.

Not all of them. One stirred, and very nearly got to his feet before the prince got to him and blocked his arm from moving with his staff. The man grunted, the pain of the blow making him grimace.

For the first time, Loki examined him. He was tall, though a good couple inches shorter than himself, with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. Lean and athletic.

But it was his eyes that really interested him. Despite his defeat, his eyes were still smoldering with rebellion, with hate and anger and determination.

Unfortunately, it brought back memories of another person, another who's blue eyes burned with such fire and ferocity that it set her apart from her brethren. Sparking with magic, dancing with light.

You never noticed the color of one's eyes unless it was a particularly pretty color, or unless it was particularly bright. Both were true with Ka-

_No! _The voice came back, banishing all thoughts of the Vanir princess. _No, you swore to forget her!_

Back to the situation at hand. Loki finally spoke. "You have heart." And he pressed the tip of his spear to his chest.

He could feel the thrum of his heart through the shaft of his spear as the blue energy slowly unwound from the stone and to the man.

Veins of blue appeared in his neck, and his eyes flashed pure black before turning back to blue. But it was a different shade.

Experiementally, Loki released him. The man placed his gun back in the holster strapped to his leg, and the prince grinned in triumph.

He detected movement behind him. A mortal was attempting to escape.

He almost let him go- _Let him spread the word- _but then he sensed that the Midguardian held something with him. An unbelievable energy source.

Loki almost smiled. _Does he think me so blind? _And he spoke again, quietly.

"Please don't."

The movement stopped. Loki turned, and his eyes were drawn immediately to the silver suitcase that the mortal held in his hand. "I still need that." He said in a dangerous tone of voice.

The mortal in question was like the one he had just taken ahold of- athletic and seemingly strong, but that's when the similarities ended. His skin was darker, and one of his eyes were covered with a black, cloth eyepatch.

This also brought back memories, but ones that were much more bitter than the first. Of a sentence; no, not a sentence, _two words _that had shattered his hopes and driven him towards the precipice of death and despair.

_"No, Loki."_

_"No, Loki!"_

Of course, rememberance of those words brought back the other statement, but one with such different meaning. Whereas the first was a rejection, the second was acceptance, and offered him comfort.

_No. Stop. You cannot. That is a forbidden place now. Forget your past. _Loki's lip curled slightly in distaste. _With every little thing you are reminded of her. How utterly _pathetic _you can be._

"This doesn't have to get any messier." The mortal warned. He hadn't even turned around yet.

"Of course it does." Loki's voice was deadly serious. "I've come too far for anything else."

_Now _the mortal turned around, and although he tried to hide it, the fear on his face was palpable. He was outnumbered, outgunned, and facing a god. Although he didn't know it yet.

_Let's change that._

"I am Loki." The Fallen Prince stared holes into the man. "Of Asgard."

"Loki!" He was alerted to another presence, one that was slowly rising to his feet.

He was a short, fat man in a dress shirt and tie. Something about him seemed rather familiar...

But his speculations were cut off with the man's next sentence. "Brother of Thor!"

It was one of the worse possible things that he could have said. Anger replaced the satisfaction, burning hatred. _No matter what I do, that's all I am known as. Brother of Thor. Son of Odin. The Secondborn Prince. The Dark Prince. Always compared._

_But now I shall prove that I am better._

He was about to blast the man into oblivion, but he was saved by the other mortal. "We have no quarrel with your people." He said in his best trying-to-diffuse-the-hopeless-situation voice.

Loki shrugged. "An ant has no quarrel with a boot."

The man sounded shocked now. "Are you planning to step on us?"

"I come with glad tidings." Loki smiled now, treading forward, casually placing himself in front of the fat man. Of course, the latter paid no notice. "Of a world made free."

"Free from what?" The eye-patch man sounded exasperated.

"Freedom." Loki said, almost cheerfully. "Freedom is life's geratest lie. Once you accept that, in your heart..." He deftly turned around and put the point of his weapon to the fat man's chest.

Another heartbeat, but much more rapid, and there was shock and _fear _on his face as he felt his will being stripped away. And then the fear and the suprise was gone, and he was just another mindless drone to do his bidding.

_Before he was scared. My power set him free._

"...you will know peace." Loki finished in a whisper.

"Yeah, you say peace." The dark-skinned man scowled. "I kind of think you mean the other thing."

"Sir, Director Fury is stalling." Announced the agent he had just taken control of. He strode forward and took his place at Loki's side. "This place is about to blow, and drop a hundred feet of rock on us." Here, he leveled Fury a hateful look, as if he had not been trying to kill the man he was now trying to protect a few minutes ago. "He means to bury us."

Fury cocked his head. "Like the pharaohs of old."

"He's right!" Selvig called out from the computers. "The portal is collapsing in on itself; we've got maybe two minutes before this goes critical."

"Well, then." Loki looked expectantly at Barton, who promptly shot Director Fury in the chest.

The man let out a grunt of pain and fell, propelled backwards with the force of the shot.

Loki picked up the briefcase and handed it to one of his newly acquired servants.

He had only been in Midguard for five mintues and he had already completed two-thirds of his job.

He smiled. This was going to be way too easy.

**A/N: Hooray! I hope you enjoyed. I'm going to be skipping around a little, so don't be alarmed if I make some big jumps.**

**I really like that scene where Loki just looks at Hawkeye and goes, "Well then." and then he shoots Fury. I don't know _why, _but I find it frikin' hilarious.**

**Don't worry! Katarina's coming up in the next chapter. Although there were a few mentions of her in here... ah, right! Tell me what you think of that!**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	8. You never were his father

**A/N: Your reviews are so lovely and nice! Thank you to all who reviewed: you guys are so awesome.**

**BTW, I've made a new account for my collaborative fics with micarocks101. The link can be found in my profile.**

**I'm so sorry that I've been neglecting this story for a little while. I swear I'll try to finish it... it's just that I have to balance the Avengers plot with my subplots and all the complications I've added with the Darkness...**

**Ah, I'll stop making excuses now. Enjoy!**

**Featuring: the return of Katarina!**

**3rd POV**

Katarina knew it as soon as it happened.

She woke up in the middle of the night, panting, her breathing ragged and shallow, feeling somehow both terrified and excited, like a rush of fright-ridden adrenaline.

She didn't know why whe had woken up- her only explanation was her dream. She had dreampt that she was standing on a platform in the dark, adnt ehn something was pressed into her hands, something heavy. Another weight was placed on her head, like a helmet, or a crown.

There was a voice as well: _"Lead. Claim your birthright. Avenge yourself."_

It was then that her heart slowly started to beat. She realized with horror that before she didn't have a pulse.

And that's when she had woken, drenched in cold sweat and shaking uncontrollably. The voice in the dream had chilled her down to the bone.

As soon as she opened her eyes, the door to the study burst open and there stood Thor, half-dressed, hair messy.

Krystal- who had fallen asleep at the desk- bolted upright, emerald green ink (Katarina refused to use any other color) on her cheek where it had touched the inkwell.

"I didn't steal the coffee!" She shouted as she emerged fro sleep. And then she noticed that both royals were staring at her and she flushed a shade of red that would put a strawberry to shame. "Uh, sorry. What's-?"

Katarina beat her to it, feeling her stomach clench painfully. "Thor, what is going on?" Her heart throbbed, and suddenly she was breathless in anticipation of his answer. "It can't be... it's not-"

Thor nodded, looking as if he was in a state of shock, but the princess that that she saw something akin to excitement on his face as well. "Yes, Katarina. I never thought that I would admit you right, but... Loki is alive."

vVvVvVvVv

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, a surge of emotion swelled within Katarina. A furor of trepidation, and yet a wave of relief as well.

Yes, she had used brave words whenever another person had claimed that her prince was dead, but beneath that armor of confidence a seed of doubt had been planted, growing with every passing day, rendering her scared, terrified even, that she was wrong and instead just going crazy. There had been many a day in which she had questioned her sanity.

But now that someone else had confirmed what she had believed to be true this entire time, she felt that wave of relief crash over her quenching the sudden flare of fear ignited in her chest.

"How... when...?" She could barely speak. She clenched her hands to stop them from shaking.

Oh gods. The thought that he was alive... it sent a shudder through her body, one that wasn't entirely unpleasant. She felt like she had during that one time in the library, when he had read to her the story about the magic thread...

Thor grabbed her hand, pulling her from the chair she had been sleeping in. "No time to explain. Come with me- the All-Father calls me to his side."

vVvVvVvVv

As soon as Katarina entered the throne room, they started to whisper.

She surveyed the rooom, both slightly amazed and slightly intimidated. It was filled wit chatting people; it looked like the entire court had been caleld together.

Straining her ears she could hear a few snatches of conversation and was greatly amused. _So the rumors about me still haven't stopped circulating. I would've thought that over the course of two years the women in the court would have gotten some common sense knocked into their brains._

When Loki had fallen from the bridge and word had spread about how she had reacted, people talked as people would. Nikolai, Krystal, Alienora and Katia had relayed soem of the tales people had been telling to Katarina, saying that she had been the only person the Dark Prince had loved, that she would kill herself within days, that her heart had been captured by his silver words and even now his magic lingered and poisoned her soul.

Most of the stories were patently ridiculous, but some fell a little too close to the truth to be comfortable.

Odin himself looked absolutely exhausted, dressed in a straange combination of armor and pajamas. he had forced himself to awaken from the Odinsleep too early, and now he was paying the price. Katarina almost felt sorry for him, but then he turned to her and Thor walking through the door and the frown he had on his face deepened into a scowl.

"I thought I had ordered for her not to be awakened!" He snarled.

All thoughts of pity dissolved.

"I believed that the princess's judgement would be valued, considering her extensive relationship with Loki and her knowledge of his actions." Thor replied evenly. "And so I went against your orders."

Katarina felt a rush of affection for the prince and graced upon him one of her rare smiles. Odin had specifically ordered for her not to be disturbed, but Thor- knowing how important this was to her- had woken her up anyway.

There was a brief stare-off as father and son glared at each other, but Frigga looked like she was trying not to laugh as she intervened. "What's done is done." She said sternly as possible and turned to her husband. "And personally I agree with Thor."

Realizing how his family had all ganged up on him, Odin merely shot the Vanir another one-eyed glower (which she vehemently returned) and settled back into his chair. "No matter. The attendance of one princess does not concern me. We have more pressing issues to discuss." He leaned in his chair. "All of you know of the tragedy that occured two years ago, when my son Thor was forced to destroy the rainbow bridge in order to save an entire race. In the process, many were killed. Among them was a Frost Giant.

"This Frost Giant, the son of Laufey-"

"His name," Katarina couldn't help herself from cutting in. "is Loki."

Once again the king of the gods glared at her, gesturing to her with his staff-free hand. "This is why I did not want her here!"

"Because I understand your son better than you ever have?"

"He is not _my son!_" Odin snapped, and this outburst was such a surprise to the princess that for once she was shocked into silence. "I have never been his _father!_"

They stared at each other.

Finally, Katarina spoke again, and this time her voice shook with anger. "You're right. You never were his father."

The All-Father turned from her and addressed the court again. "As I was saying, a Frost Giant with extremely powerful magical abilities has just stolen the Tesseract, better known as one of the much-feared Infinity Stones. If that was not enough, he was just declared war on Midguard, more specifially on an organization known as SHIELD."

Thor steped forward, brandishing Mjolnir. "As the Aesir of Asgard, it is our duty to defend the Midguardians and take back the Tesseract to our realm for safe-keeping. I volunteer to go to Midguard and bring back the Infinity Stone."

"And me as well." Katarina quickly stepped forward.

"No-!" Ryker started to say.

"Katarina-!" Nikolai interrupted him.

"Silence!" Odin snarled and silence fell. In pajamas or not, he was still quite terrifying. "This is all foolish talk." His one eye snapped to the Vanir. "You could not go- your affectionate ties to Laufeyson make you too emotionally involved."

Katarina felt her face burn as everybody's eyes turned inevitably on her. _Well, I know what's on the front page of the women's gossip tomorrow._

"And no one is going, not even you Thor."

"What!?"

"What did you expect me to say?" Odin snapped. "The Bifrost is currently 20,000 leagues under the sea*; how do you supose we get to Midguard? By jumping off the rainbow bridge?"

This bit of succinct reasoning shut everyobody up, and the next few moments were spent in a stunned sort of silence.

Meanwhile, Katarina was having a war with herself.

The fact that her Loki was _alive _and _just within her reach _but _she couldn't see him _was just so maddening that she wanted to scream. It's like the Fates were messing with her life on purpose, and she wondered for a moment if she had ever done something to offend Freyja, the goddess of love.

While she was trapped her in her thoughts, the court was in an uproar.

"Then what can we do to defend the mortals?"

"Nevermind the mortals, how can we recover our Infinity Stone?"

"It shall fall into the hands of simplistic Midguardians!"

"Since when do mortals gain the relics of gods? This is an outrage and an insult to our power!"

"Silence!" Odin roared for the second time that night, and everybody shut their mouths. "There is nothing we can do but wait for the Bifrost to regenerate. Hopefully, Laufeyson shall fail in his conquest of Midguard and will retreat, and once our interdimensional travel is back online, we may recover the Tesseract. Even if the Midguardians don't defeat Laufeyson, we can still retake Midguard. This is our only option."

Katarina listened to the plan and shook her head, the pieces of her dream falling together. _It won't do. Loki has gained an army from that... _thing _in the dark. Retaking Midguard won't be just waltzing in and throwing a few punches. We have to help the Midguardians _now.

She glanced at Krystal, who in turn glanced at her, and they both shared a look.

And then, as one, walked out of the hall, as quickly as they could without anybody noticing.

vVvVvVvVv

"Now that we're out of there," Krystal had to jog to keep up with Katarina's long strides. "What's plan, exactly?"

The princess shot her a look before smirking slightly. "You mean you don't know?"

Krystal huffed. "It's not like we have a telepathic link or something." Her eyes drifted to the chain around Katarina's neck. "Speaking of telepathic links..."

The Vanir reached up and touched the ring. "It's strange. Like there's a tiny metal heart inside of it, and I can feel it when my heart beats."

"It's probably nothing. My guess is that all of the Darkness under the bridge masked some of the magic, so that now Loki's up and about in the mortal world, you're hyper-aware of everything."

Katarina nodded and put her hand down. "Anyway. The plan. You know the dark energy we've been studying recently?"

"Yea- Oh dear. Oh Lordy, no you cannot be thinking what I think you're thinking."

"I am." The princess pushed open the door to her study and Krystal trailed after her, looking extremely upset.

"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard of! The dark energy is too unstable to transport you through space to Midguard!"

"I'll take my chances." She picked up a notebook and started to scan through it. Krystal wrung her hands.

"Your atoms will implode and turn into stardust if this goes wrong."

"It had better not go wrong then." Katarina picked up a quill and hurriedly scribbled something on a piece of parchment. Then she folded it and handed it to Krystal.

"What the hell is this?"

"A letter to Queen Frigga. It says what I've done, and what she needs to do to replicate the spell to transport another person. Send Thor after me."

"Katarina... this is madness. It's ridiculous. You might die."

"I have to go, Krystal."

"Why?"

This time the Vanir turned around, and the younger Asgardian realized with shock that her blue eyes looked somewhat fractured, as if something within her had broken.

"I have to see him. I have to make sure he's alive."

**A/N: And cut!**

**Ah, more hate for Odin. As you can see, the Vanir princess and the Asgardian king have a somewhat rocky relationship.**

**Oh, I also just wanted to put in a thank you note here. Recently I've looked over my stories and saw how much you guys have tolerated me... and I just wanted to say thank you so much! I don't love my followers/reviewers because they follow me and read my stories... I love them because they take the time to add their input and tell me about how much they liked the chapter, and that makes me feel special and really worth it. :) You guys are my Shadows!**

**(If you get the pun, you're awesome.)**


	9. Don't Say That Name

**A/N: IT WASN'T MY FAULT THIS TIME! I SWEAR! MY INTERNET WAS DOWN FOR MORE THAN A WEEK AND I COULDN'T UPDATE! I'm so sorry, especially to the reviewer who said that their head would explode if I didn't update. I do hope you still have your head. Having your head complete and intact and un-exploded is health beneficial and advised.**

**Oh, I have a new account for collaborations with my friend, micarocks! Most of them are a little more humorous than the ones posted on this account, so if you're into that, go enjoy my stories, one of the most popular being "Why Can't I Just Be Normal?"**

**And now, without further adieou, the chapter: **

**3rd POV**

Strangely enough, he knew it too.

It was like someone had suddenly punched him hard in the stomach. It sent him reeling, hand over his mouth and the over one clenched over his midsection, eyes squeezed shut with the unanticipated pain.

The dull ache in his core slowly faded away, and the nausea passed, but still he kept his eyes closed, trying to will away the images of blue-eyed smiles and sun-filled laughs.

He couldn't quite believe that after all this time- all this time- he could still remember her face. He had thought that Thanos had beaten the memories out of him.

Obviously not.

His fingers twitched, wanting to touch the ring that still hung around his neck. Against all

odds, he still had it with him; Thanos had suggested that he get rid of it, but he had adamantly refused.

Why, he did not know.

There had been many a time where he had just stared at the triple band of metal, turning it over in his fingers, examining it, as if words would appear and he would find an answer in those words. Sometimes he would want to throw it as far away from him as physically possible; other times he would clench it in his fist and never want to let it go.

It was a reminder of fond times, but also of times long gone.

vVvVvVvVvVv

Katarina felt her feet slam into the earth and her knees buckled.

The ground spun beneath her, and it took a moment or two to slow down her heart rate, to take a few deep breaths.

'I'm not dead... that's fortunate. There had been a moment there...' Katarina inhaled a shaky breath. '...never mind.' She stood up and looked around. 'I have more important issues to worry about.'

She was definitely in Midguard; that much was obvious. Exactly where in Midguard was the problem.

In the Void, where Darkness existed, were the tiny little strings of magic that connected everything at an atomic level. When she had traveled using the Darkness inside Krystal (which was pretty dang strong) she had let the connection in her ring take over, hopefully ultimately leading her to where Loki was.

Oh gods... Loki.

He was alive... he was /alive/. She was going to see him again. She couldn't believe it. The very thought filled her with enough joy to make her want to jump around and skip and laugh like a little kid again, which was something she hadn't done in a very long time.

The Vanir was standing in the middle of a plaza, centered by a fountain. In front of her was something that looked like a museum. No one had noticed a young woman suddenly materializing out of thin air, which was quite convenient.

There was some sort of commotion going on. Police cars were gathered and men and women in uniforms where talking to a crowd of people dressed in formal clothes.

Ah, right. Clothes.

Looking down, Katarina realized that her own dress would get a few curious stares by passerby, but with a wave of her hand, her attire shimmered and morphed into something a bit more modern.

She had gotten better at these kinds of spells. She had gotten better at spells in general, actually.

She ran a hand through her hair, and suddenly it shortened and darkened, turning to a dark chestnut color slightly reminiscent of Krystal's. Tracing her fingers along her face, she knew that anyone that glimpsed upon it would not be able to distinguish any distinct features; as if they had been looking at her reflection in a pond.

There. Normal mortal.

She examined her new appearance with nothing short of grim amusement, wondering if it would be enough to deceive the god of deceit, to trick the god of trickery.

Part of her was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing him again. The other part was terrified.

She had seen what the Darkness had done to Krystal- seen how it had morphed her from a happy, innocent girl to a tougher-skinned, strong young woman with a brooding attitude. She was scared to see what the Darkness had done to her prince.

She was scared to see the thing he had become.

Perhaps he would be completely unrecognizable; perhaps he would be damaged beyond repair.

But no matter his state, she knew that somewhere, the Loki she knew and loved would still be in there.

vVvVvVvVvVv

It was getting worse.

On the plane he could hear her presence as much as he could hear his own heart beat (which also seemed louder than usual, but he dismissed that). It both panicked and excited him- although the latter he denied.

'She's here.' The thought sent a thrill through him. 'She's /here/.'

'Don't be a fool.' The other voice replied. 'How could she? She's on Asgard, enjoying her life without you. The Bifrost was destroyed- she couldn't get here even if she wanted to. Which she doesn't.'

'I know she's here. I can sense her.'

'Nonsense. This is all foolish talk, the product of mere wishful thinking.' Here, the voice paused to sneer. 'How much control have you given her over your mind, you fool?'

Before he could argue back, the ship pitched to the side. Lightning cracked through the sky.

But the storm couldn't be coincidental.

_I thought you said that Thor wouldn't be able to travel to Midguard._

_He can't! _The voice snapped at him, but it sounded, for once, a little uneasy. _It is impossible-_

Another crack of lightning. He gripped the harness so hard that his knuckles turned white. Gods, he _hated_ storms. Ever since he had been a child. Hated the way that Thor always delighted in storms, just because he could show off.

_"Look, Loki!" He would say, running out into the rain, when they were children. "Look what I can do!" Sparks of electricity would dance along his arms, arching around his hands, weaving themselves in and out between his fingers. He would laugh as the lightning jumped from his hands to the raindrops around him, exploding with tiny pops. The air would smell like ozone. "See? I can do magic too!"_

What he called "magic" was no more than clumsy channeling, in his eyes. But Loki had never been able to control lightning as powerful as Thor's– no, it seemed as though that ability was reserved for him alone.

Captain America noticed the slight tightening of his grip. "What? Scared of a little lightning?"

_Yes. More than you could ever imagine. _He would have said. If he was truthful.

Instead he looked the man straight in the eye. "I'm not overly fond of what follows."

There was a loud thump on the top of the plane.

Yep. Thor was here. Any minute now he would rip a hole in the plane to "bring him to justice!" His brother was always one for flashy entrances.

Sure enough, two seconds later than the predicted time, the door was ripped right off its hinges, and there was Thor.

He didn't look very changed at all, albeit his golden hair was slightly longer. It whipped around his face, which was stormy and might have been carved from stone for all the difference in expression it made. His blue eyes were cold, but at the same time, slightly hopeful, as if he was wondering if his younger brother was still inside the man he saw now.

He was wasting his time.

The prince strode forward and grabbed him by the neck (always the gentle brother), pulling him from the seat and snapping the harness as if it was no more than a few threads. And then he flew out.

What a fool. Where was the subtlety, the finesse? Surely he knew that the "Avengers" as they called themselves would come after him and reclaim their dangerous cargo?

Of course he didn't. His brother had always been an idiot.

vVvVvVvVvVv

Thor slammed him right into the surface of a mountain.

_Gentle brother indeed._ He groaned at first but then started to laugh.

"Where is the Tesseract?" Thor barked. The first words he said to his supposedly dead brother.

Loki shook his head, chuckling. Did he really expect an answer? "I missed you too." Thor's eyes flared with righteous anger.

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" He snarled, shifting Mjolnir's weight in his hand.

Mjolnir. He hated that hammer. A constant reminder of his _failure_. Of his _unworthiness_.

And the idea of Thor... being more worthy than him... the idea was laughable.

"You should thank me." Loki slowly got to his feet. "With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did it take for the Allfather to conjure you here?" Here, he injected a bit of bitterness to his voice. "To your precious earth."

With a snarl, Thor moved forward, and at first Loki thought he was going to attack him. But instead he just gripped him by the back of the neck, and he saw that desperate light in his eyes... and the hopefulness.

Fool.

"I thought you dead."

Loki's voice was cold and impassive as he replied, for once void of any sarcasm. "Did you mourn?"

His brother saw it as a moment to prove the Allfather's supposed "love" for him. "We all did. Our father-"

Loki put a finger up to silence him, trying to reign in his anger. "_Your_ father." And then he broke free. "He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?" He turned and started to walk away.

"We were raised together." Thor called after him, again sounding desperate. "We played together, we fought together! Do you remember none of that?"

The second prince whirled around to face him, and this time he couldn't keep his anger in check. _Remember what? There is nothing to remember. _"I remember a shadow. Living in the _shade_ of your _greatness_. I remember you tossing me into an abyss- I, who was and should be king!"

"So you take the world I love as recompense for your imagined slights?" Thor countered, and he strode forward. "No. The earth is under my protection, Loki."

At this, he laughed. Just laughed. Protection? What protection? "And you're doing a _marvelous_ job at that. The humans slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret." It was true. Wars. Battles. All childish squabbles over petty disagreements. "I mean to rule them, and why should I not?"

Thor looked like he realized something. "You think yourself above them."

Loki frowned. "Well, yes."

The prince laughed. "Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother." _Brother_. "A throne would suit you ill."

He snarled and slammed his fist into his armor, pushing past him.

_Throne... suit you ill... ridiculous._ Purred the voice. _He is trying to inspire skepticism in you, plant seeds of doubt in your heart... ignore him. He thinks himself superior to _you_? Tell him of the things you have seen!_

"I've seen worlds you've never known about!" Loki yelled. "I have grown, _Odin's son_, in my exile. I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it-"

"Who showed you this power?" Thor interrupted, and for the first time all that evening he sounded concerned and suspicious. "Who controls the would-be king?"

"I am a king!" Loki shouted at him.

"Not here!" Thor grabbed him by his shoulders, shaking him like that would shake some sense into him. "You give up the Tesseract, you give up this pointless dream!" His hand moved to the back of his head, and his eyes softened. One last plead, a beg for him to come with him quietly. "You come _home_."

_Home_. The concept was foreign to him. He had a home once. He had two homes once, actually. But now he belonged to neither.

He let a bitter, breathy laugh fall from his mouth. And then he shrugged slightly, smiling. "I don't have it."

Instantly Thor released him, looking hurt and angry. He hefted Mjolnir, but Loki didn't stop there.

"You need the Tesseract to bring me _home_, but I've sent it off I know not where."

The prince strode forward, looking like he was ready to give a good lecture. What he didn't see was the flying man in red and gold armor rapidly approaching him from the side. "Listen well, brother." He kept saying that, calling him that: _brother_. Did he not see that they weren't brothers anymore? "I-"

And then he was slammed into by Iron Man.

Loki spread his hands to thin air, raising his eyebrows. "I'm listening."

Thor's time was up. And his goal was not accomplished. He had not convinced his "brother" to come home.

There was only one person besides Frigga that he might have listened to anyway.

But she was as good as dead to him.

vVvVvVvVvVv

Krystal cussed out as many gods as she could remember under her breath as she ran. She officially had the worst luck in the world.

She had gotten to Thor as soon as Katarina had disappeared, and together she had managed to get to Midguard using the Darkness, but just barely.

That's what scared her.

If she- Krystal, Darkness extraordinaire- just barely managed to dimension hop, then how would Katarina be able to do it? Best case scenario she was stuck in limbo for an hour; and that was being optimistic about it.

In the Void, she and Thor had gotten separated, and so now she was running through the back streets of Stuttgart, Germany, trying to find him again. She prayed that he wasn't too far away. Otherwise she was screwed.

Being in Midguard had a nauseating effect on her anyway. Being half mortal, it was kind of like having a split-personality disorder, vertigo, and seasickness at the same time. She never belonged in one world. She had to switch every now and then, because every time she arrived in one dimension, she would gradually become homesick for the other.

It didn't help that her father had died a few years ago from cancer, which was such a _human_ disease that she was almost sickened by the ironic cruelty of it all.

_She_ was the one that was immune to mortal diseases, but _he_ was the one that got cancer.

Krystal swore again as she passed a family of three children. The parents shot her a dirty look and encouraged the kids to "walk closer together and not talk to strangers."

What, did she look like a crack addict or something?

There was one way that she could find them quickly. Unfortunately it was very risky and the best case scenario was that she would pass out.

Worse case scenario she would go berserk and kill a ton of people.

Normally she wouldn't risk it, but this was an emergency. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

And then she disappeared on the spot.

Exactly two minutes and thirteen seconds later, she emerged in the middle of a forest, in the middle of a triangle consisting of three people:

1) Thor.

2) A guy in star-spangled tights that made her uncomfortable just by looking at them.

3) A guy in a beat-up suit of armor that gave a very unmanly scream of terror when she appeared.

She felt like an introduction was needed. "Um... hi." And then she promptly fainted.

The last thing she remembered as her vision spiraled into darkness was the guy in the suit yelling, "HOW MANY MORE FREAKS LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO SHOW UP!?"

vVvVvVvVvVv

Thor finished off his business with the Avengers quicker than he thought he would. Huh. Go figure. Maybe he got better at peacemaking.

Ha. Funny.

Anyway, there was another addition to the group. A girl with dark brown hair (possibly an Asgardian, considering her aura) was slung over Thor's shoulder.

That was the only thing he could notice before her /real/ aura hit him.

Oh, holy gods of Asgard. He flinched before he could stop himself.

Darkness.

So much Darkness.

As a magic user he could sense it, and if he concentrated and lowered his eyes into the magical world, he could /see/ it: coming out of her pores and turning her eyes jet black and surrounding her with this huge, smoky cloud.

This girl was drowning.

Drowning like him.*

vVvVvVvVvVv

Tension in the plane was thick as hell.

Thor, Loki, a random sleeping girl that was supposedly named "Krystal", Black Widow, Iron Man and Captain America.

Not the best combo for beneficial conversations.

Loki closed off completely, staring either at the floor or the ceiling, pretending to be unconcerned, but Steve caught him shooting Krystal furtive, rather disturbed looks from time to time.

Thor had said she was a friend, but there was an unsettling air about her. Something inhuman. Something dangerous.

The rest of the plane occupants didn't bother to try conversation. Except for Thor, of course, who was still trying to beg his brother to come home.

It was a lost cause.

"Brother, will you not just give up this hopeless cause?"

Loki ignored him. Everybody tried to eavesdrop on the exchange without looking like they were eavesdropping.

"Can you not come home?"

"I have no home, Thor." Loki said in a bored tone. "There is nothing left for me there." He met his gaze.

Thor's eyes darkened with anger. "Nothing? You call everything that you had there _nothing_?"

"That's what it is."

"That is nonsense!" Thor stood up, standing in front of Loki to draw his eyes to him as he ranted. "Do you have any idea how much mother mourned for you?"

"She is not my mother." The black-haired man seemed so nonchalant. Thor wasn't daunted, and continued his furious tirade.

"And it was not just Frigga. _She_ cried every day. She wouldn't let us see, of course; you know her. Would never admit weakness."

At the mention of this mysterious "she", Loki's face hardened. He made like a rock and turned away from his brother, adamantly refusing to look at him.

"She didn't eat for three weeks after you left. Didn't talk, didn't budge from her seat by the window where she just stared at the remnants of the rainbow bridge. Nikolai barely managed to force her to take care of herself. Every day she asked Heimdall if he knew where you were. She never believed you dead."

"She means nothing to me." Loki hissed. Thor's expression turned to incredulity.

"She means nothing to you? Katarina-"

Something inside the Fallen Prince snapped. Steve blinked and completely missed it. One moment Loki was sitting down, the next minute he had slammed Thor's back into the side of the plane, a hand at his throat, a livid expression on his face. It was scary- he looked almost monstrous. Captain America could've sworn his eyes flashed red.

"_Don't. Say. That. Name._" Loki snarled, each word a scream through gritted teeth.

Steve and Tony recovered from their shock and moved forward, each of them taking ahold of Loki's arms and pulling him away from Thor, exchanging surprised looks. He had broken through the bonds as if they had been cobwebs. It seems like he had been humoring them the entire time when it came to captivity.

None of them were looking forward to fighting this guy one on one.

vVvVvVvVvVv

When Katarina figured out what time it was, she swore very loudly in Norwegian, causing passerby to glance curiously at her.

Two hours. She had been in limbo for two hours.

She did a few calculations and frowned. That meant that Thor might already be here... as well as Krystal. Great. Perfect.

She sighed. Now she had to find them both.

She was going to regret this. Closing her eyes, Katarina searched the magical world, the one that lay just beneath the physical world, looking for anything, a name, a voice, a magic source.

For a few minutes there was nothing.

And then there was a voice. A very familiar voice. A voice that had haunted her for two years.

"_Don't. Say. That. Name."_

It wasn't a lot.

But it was enough to get a pinpoint on the location. It was a moving location too. Apparently he was being transported.

For a moment she stood there and let the sound of that voice just wash over her. Sure it was laced with anger and hate, almost more anger and hate than she had heard before, but it was his voice.

_His_ voice.

She focused on that voice and let it pull her to it.

Her feet left the floor for about two seconds and then slammed into something metal.

She was hit with instant vertigo. Judging from her internal gauge, she had just teleported approximately two-thousand feet into the air, right into a plane.

She stumbled to the left and bumped into something- _someone_. She gripped the person's arms for balance, trying to stop her head from spinning.

Of course, it didn't cease, and it was at that time that she knew she had dried up _way_ too much of her magic reservoirs.

She looked up once before blacking out.

The last thing she remembered before completely going out was seeing that the person she had grabbed ahold of for stability was Loki.

She had found her prince.

**A/N: "Irony. Oh cruel, cruel irony."**

**I hope you enjoyed! I hope your heads are still intact! **

***Hm, does that look like another pairing posibility to anyone?**

**Make sure to check out that account! MidnightMica_101! Take away the underscore.**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


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